Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This piano-playing chicken has notched up 6 million views after learning to drum out tunes by hitting its beak on a keyboard as part of an animal behaviour psychology course.
The bird named ‘Dada’, who now knows two songs, is a research subject at Guizhou Vocational College of Agriculture in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, in south-western China.
The cock belongs to third-year student Xiao Chuang and his teacher He Shiyu, who together have been training Dada as part of a Pet Behavioural Psychology course.
Viral footage shows the otherwise ordinary cockerel performing Malaysian Chinese singer Michael Wong’s 2005 pop hit ‘Fairy Tale’, as well as the 1984 Chinese patriotic tune ‘My Motherland and Me’.
Dada diligently pecks away at a keyboard as its handler occasionally offers it chicken feed as a reward for getting the sequences correct.
Mr Xiao told local media: “Chicken have tiny brains, so they’re very simple.
“They also love to eat, so we fed it every time it hits the right notes and conditioned it in about two months.
“The most difficult part was getting the tempo and melody right so that listeners knew what they were hearing.”
At the age of four months, Dada was purchased from a neighbouring village for 120 RMB (12 GBP), teacher Mr He said.
He added: “Chickens are easier to train than dogs.
“But if we want it to perform in a more formal setting, it’ll need further training. It’s afraid of humans, so it needs more complex socialising training.”
Mr He, whose technique involves conditioning and the bird’s own ability to develop muscle memory, said Dada rehearses twice a day for roughly five to six minutes during each session.
After every song, Dada is rewarded with chicken feed and an affectionate pat.
Mr He said Dada is also learning to perform long jumps and run obstacle courses.
The cock is among other animals such as pigs and dogs currently undergoing training at the college.
The chicken will next learn to play ‘Castle in the Sky’ – the theme song to the 1986 film of the same name by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
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