Let's do an experiment to see if playing different kinds of music to the incubating chicks influences them. I think the MythBusters did this with plants.
the mythbusters one had them talking sweettalk to one greenhouse, shouting about hating plants to another, heavy metal in a third, classical in a fourth, and silence in the last one. I think heavy metal did best, but the watering system broke down halfway through the experiment I believe, so most of the plants were dead anyway I love mythbusters and that is a good idea. who here has a bunch of incubators they can set up in different rooms and has enough space for a bunch of chickies? PS. I candled today, 2 were clear, 2 were too dark to be sure but the other 13 had definite veining and movement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By day 3, the hearing hair cell precursors have formed and migrated, but the neural network to link the cells, and final development of the auditory system with their respective link brain is something like day 16/17 if I remember right. Actual "hearing" and making sense of the sounds might be a few days later. Oh found this: http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/96/1/128 The first sensory from the hearing system is about day 16, with a frequency response showing up day 17-19, but full "hearing" at "adult" levels occurs 2 weeks post hatch. The terms "E12" means embryo day 12, or 12 days into incubation. Stage "x" is Hamburger and Hamilton developmental stage designations which often is more accurate to use to characterize how far along they are in development versus using days. Didn't read it through very well as I should be reading about Pitx2's involvement in muscle development instead of hearing!
