The Role of Prenatal Bioacoustic Cues in Embryogenesis and Neurogenesis in Chicken Embryos

Understanding the effects of prenatal bioacoustic cues (PBC) on embryogenesis and neurogenesis has an important and prominent role in bird biology. This study examined how vital acoustic signals affect the neurogenesis and the physiological development of embryos. The study was conducted at the hatcheries of the Department of Animal Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sulaymaniyah, using 480 fertilized eggs (Ross 308) with four treatments: CO (control without sound), HC (hen call), CH (chick call), and CWH (chick with hen call). Each treatment was divided into four replicates of 30 eggs each. The sounds, at 15 minutes per hour daily, were monitored from day 5 until the eggs hatched. The results indicate that compared to the CO, the other three groups had significantly higher embryogenesis (p<0.01) for embryonic mass, chick body weight, hatchability, and embryo index (EI). The neurological characteristics of neurons, brain mass, and brain index (BI) were similarly significantly higher (p<0.01) in the HC, CH, and CWH groups than in the CO. Compared to the CO group, corticosterone hormone levels for the other groups showed substantial improvement (p<0.01). In conclusion, PBC improves nerve signal transmission within the embryo, stimulates nerve creation, and improves embryonic growth and development. This results in enhanced biological processes and optimal embryonic development while lowering stress and corticosterone levels.