Filial Imprinting, Environmental Enrichment, and Music Application Effects on Behavior and Performance of Meat Strain Chicks

Combined effects of music, environmental enrichment, and filial imprinting were tested on meat strain chicks (broilers) from 1 to 7 days old (Study I) or from one to 8 wk old (Study II). In six experiments conducted in two separate studies, chicks were exposed to a blue plastic box (30 × 30 × 38 cm) containing speakers from which red gloves were hung at the chicks’ eye level. Classical music was provided intermittently (1 h on/1 h off) from speakers located in the boxes. Approach response, feeding behavior, fear behavior, body weight, feed:gain ratio, and mortality were evaluated. Approach response tests (Study I) demonstrated that attachment to the imprinting enrichment and music (IEM) object was greater among treated chicks, whereas fear response tests indicated that IEM-treated chicks were also less fearful. Evaluation of feeding behavior (Study II) indicated that IEM chickens fed significantly more often than controls, particularly when the music was activated. Feed:gain ratios of the IEM-treated chicks in Study I were significantly improved (1.48 vs. 1.58) compared with those of controls for three of the four experiments. The exception occurred in Experiment 3, when chicks were exposed to heat stress, and nonsignificant differences for feed:gain ratios were observed. Body weight and mortality differences were not observed. Results of Study II, however, demonstrated significant influences of imprinting, enrichment, and music on body weight at 8 wk of age (2.63 vs. 2.57 kg), whereas differences in feed conversion and mortality were not significant.