Effect of Exposure to a Short-Duration Sound on the Stress Response of Chickens

Chickens were subjected to the sound produced by banging on a metal pail (104 decibels) for 30 seconds. Heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios began to rise 18 hours later, reaching their maximum value (0.62) in 20 hours and returning to pre-stress values after 30 hours. Neither resistance to Escherichia coli challenge infection nor antibody response were altered.