Fictional animal-whisperer Dr Dolittle may have been able to talk to all animals, but a British farmer is able to at least decipher the squawks of his chickens. David Speller claims he can identify 11 different types of'chicken chatter' to know if his birds are too hot, too cold, hungry or even sick....so they don't'cry fowl' of their conditions. The skill could save him thousands of pounds by ensuring his animals are healthy. David Speller can identify 11 different types of'chicken chatter' to know if his birds are too hot, too cold, hungry or even sick. Mr Speller, 42, owns the only British farm to take part in a unique project run by Leuven University, in Belgium, which aims to understand the'language' of chickens.