Nuneaton livestock farmer Charles Goadby says his cows love jazz but his sheep prefer pop
Jazz-loving cows may be trending on TikTok, but they are certainly not the only farm animals which can cut a rug.
Warwickshire-based livestock farmer Charles Goadby has also discovered his sheep are also partial to a tune or two, with The Beach Boys' sixties hit Baah-bara Anne being a natural favourite.
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Mr Goadby, who manages 350 Holstein cows at his farm in Nuneaton, said he was initially contacted by researchers at the online children's education platform BBC Bitesize who were trying to prove whether there was any substance behind the social media trend, which has seen farmers from around the world stage a concert for their cattle.
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Mr Goadby said he had long been a believer in the power of music to calm his cows and as such had introduced it in the milking parlour more than a decade ago.
"Farmers up and down the country have been playing music to their animals for years as it has been shown to be more relaxing for the cows," he told FG.
Milk flow
"But it is also like Pavlov's dog experiment - the cows hear the radio, it gets the hormones going and so they release the milk quicker and it flows more easily. We enjoy working in there with the music too, so it is better all round.
"As UK farmers, our main job is to keep the animals happy and cared for and if the music helps, then that is great."
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Mr Goadby said that although his dairy cows did not have a particular performer or genre, he had been keen to test out the theory on his sheep. And sure enough, they all flocked to greet him once they heard the sounds of sixties surf stars, The Beach Boys.
"They are always pleased to see me, but they came running when they heard the music and of course, it had to be Barbara Ann."
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