Study encourages farmers to do the funky chicken

Scots farmers are out to find the prefect piece of music to give them happy hens after reports that a spot of henhouse rock results in more eggs being laid.

Edinburgh-based animal behaviour expert Dr Bryan Jones of the Roslin Institute has been commissioned by the National Farmers Union to study the phenomenon. An NFU spokesman explained: ''There is considerable anecdotal evidence to suggest that chickens thrive when they have music played to them. The aim is to find out if this is myth or fact.

''One poultry man in Ayrshire is determined he'll get even better results if he plays Bob Dylan's Lay, Lady Lay.''