What if the next great language to learn is “gallinés”? A revolutionary study is using the latest Artificial Intelligence techniques to decipher the way in which chickens communicate with each otherallowing an unprecedented understanding of the complex language of these farm animals and paving the way towards more understanding and less cruel treatment.
This is a project from Dalhousie University, in Canada, that seeks to decipher the way in which these birds communicate, applying machine learning techniques from the different sounds they generate and their visible behaviors.
To do so, they began recording hundreds of hours of chicken sounds both in natural spaces and in confinement environmentswhich allowed us to identify different patterns and small nuances in tone, rhythm and pauses.
Technology made it possible to process this information in a way that until now it seemed impossiblesince they are animals that have a wide range of sounds.
Thus, what at first were simply cackles, clucks and squawks, revealed to be part of a complex language which expresses, among other states, joy, fear and alertness.
The first results, however, showed that it was necessary to go beyond simply the auditorysince, like human beings, their language also depends greatly on contexts.
It will also open the way to understanding how we treat other animals and, in this way, ensure their care and well-being.
Thus, the team of researchers had to analyze the blinking and temperature of the hens, which additionally proved to be reliable indicators of their emotional states.
By using non-invasive methods, such as thermal video cameras, changes in temperature around the eye and head regions, as well as variations in blinking. This information served to create more reliable indicators to evaluate their well-being.
Although the results still need to be collated by the rest of the scientific community and analyzed in detail, the Dalhousie scholars believe that it is possible to create an automatic translator from “gallinés” to Spanishdeciphering an intricate vocal code that science knows very little about.
This project goes much further than simply understanding what chickens talk about, but lays the foundation for a more humane and empathetic treatment of farm animalsa growing demand in our society.
If it is possible to apply natural language processing technology to birds, we can know and interpret your emotional states and determine if they are stressed, happy or having a problem.
This technique called DEAL (the acronym in English for “Deep Emotional Analysis Learning”) look for equivalences between vocalizations and emotional states.
Once the complexities of chicken communication are unraveled, it can be used to understand what their emotional state is like at all times, vital information to make better decisions about their care and their environment. If this turns out to be possible, it will open the way to understand also how we treat other animalsensuring their care and well-being.
