Can Music Improve Bird Performance?
Jennifer Timmons, Associate Professor, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
In humans, research suggest that music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain, improve memory and sleep quality as well as enhance athletic performance.
This raises the question if music could also be beneficial to animals.
As animal welfare continues to be a priority for producers, music may be an additional enrichment tool used to decrease stress and strengthen natural behaviors of birds.
Chicks start to develop hearing when they are developing embryos in the egg. Research suggest that chicks respond to external sounds at around 16-18 days of incubation.
After hatch, chicks will first hear low frequency sounds. It was reported that sudden, and high frequency noise is perceived as the most stressful for chickens.
One study reported that after seven days of exposure to loud sounds (5 minute noise, 10 minute no noise), broiler chickens had 6% less weight gain compared to the control birds.
There are few studies investigating the impact of music on bird welfare and performance.
One of the earliest studies evaluated the effects of two types of music played at two levels of intensity on broiler performance. In this study, birds were exposed to an ambient noise which consisted mainly of chicken noises, high level dinner music, low level dinner music, low level rock and roll, and high level rock and roll music.
Music was played continuously for 12 hours a day (during the daylight hours). The birds were exposed to the music treatments from 8-63 days of age.
The researchers reported no differences in body weight, feed consumption or yield between the five music treatments. The researchers also observed that the birds were frightened by the initial exposure to the music, however adapted after the first week.
In contrast, a study with quails reported an increase in egg production and improved feed conversion ratio of quail exposed to music 12 hours a day.
A more recent study with broiler chickens evaluated behavior and leg health of birds exposed to music.
Starting at 2 weeks of age, a classical music soundtrack was played five times a day for a six minute duration. The researchers reported that birds exposed to music had betters gait scores at 35 days of age compared to the control birds.
In addition, birds exposed to the music treatment were observed to have more birds eating at 35 days of age compared to the eating behavior of the control birds.
Music did not appear to influence the stress behaviors of the birds.
Currently there are very few studies evaluating the impact of music on broiler chickens, and those few studies that have been conducted report conflicting results. The specific music genre, volume, duration of exposure are a few factors that may impact how the birds respond to the music.
Studies with people have reported positive effects of relaxing music while also show the benefits of silence.
Therefore when exposing animals to music it would be a good practice to provide the animals with breaks from the music.
The use of music may have the potential to improve bird performance and reduce stress; however more studies are needed to confirm if there are any real benefits.
("Previously published in The Mid-Atlantic Poultry Farmer, November 2023" )