Control

• Ability of Flight and Leg Extension

– The otoliths in the utricle are subject to the action of gravity, and since they are in
contact with the hairs of the hair cells the gravitational pull upon them is transmitted to
the macula.
– Utricular Macula serves as Sensory organ which stimulates the hair cells, then producing
a nerve impulse that passes through the vestibular nuclei.
– Inputs from Vestibular Nuclei activates neurons that innervates gravity opposing
muscles and distal muscles.

Post Control
• With Blindfold
– Absence of Visual Righting Reflex
• there is no visual detection that allows positioning of the head.
– Destruction of Vestibular Apparatus
• Gravitational Pull is not detected by the utricle in the Left inner ear.
• Absence of stimulation from the left ear utricle, does not activate the anti-
gravity muscles of the right side of the body resulting in tendency to fall to the
right.
• Wings do not extend for flight readiness.
 • Without Blindfold
– Presence of Visual Righting Reflex
• Compensatory mechanism in equilibrium for the destruction of Vestibular
Apparatus.
• Both wings can still be extended for flight but cannot retain balance
immediately during flight.
• Visual Detection will dominate for maintenance of balance.

Muscle tone is defined as the steady reflex contraction of the muscle concerned in maintaining
the posture characteristic of a given animal species. This involves mainly the so-called “anti-gravity”
muscles.

In the case of the chicken, it’s wings are considered as the anti-gravity muscles.

Muscle tone is basically an illustration of the stretch (myotatic) reflex. Stretching of the muscle
fibers causes stretching of the muscle spindle stimulating the annulospiral endings. Impulses are relayed
to the spinal cord and from and from which efferent impulses reach the muscle to cause its
contradiction. Deafferentation of the muscle abolishes its tone; a proof of the reflex nature of muscle
tone.

Muscle tone is maintained with little expenditure of energy; posture can be maintained for long
periods without fatigue. Different groups of muscles contract in relays; only a proportion of the total
number of fiber groups being active at any moment, hence there are alternating periods of rest and
activity for each muscle group.