MOOSICAL cows are swaying to bovine beats as part of a revolutionary new experiment being conducted in East Yorkshire.
The 150 pedigree Friesian Holstein cows at Bishop Burton College, near Beverley, are the subject of the experiment, which aims to find out if their milk production levels can be affected by music.
A sound system has been rigged up in the cow shed to produce the music to get the cows' hooves tapping.
They are being treated to three weeks of fast music (more than 100 beats a minute), followed by three weeks of slower music and finally three weeks of no music at all.
Experts will then assess whether music can make the herd produce more milk, and if so, which type is favoured by the cattle.
Liam MacKenzie is the man co-ordinating the experiment and is currently research assistant to Dr Adrian North, a lecturer at Bishop Burton College who is renowned worldwide for his work in the psychology of music in everyday life.
Said Liam: "The music has been pitched at a level shown to be comfortable for bovine auditory systems."
Updated: 08:55 Thursday, April 12, 2001
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