Chicken Anatomy

Prepared By:
Staff Members of Anatomy & Embryology Department
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Cairo University
 Bird Anatomy

Birds evolved from reptiles, with remaining similarities as scales on their beak, legs and feet,
single occipital condyle, a single middle ear bone, renal portal system, and excretion of uric
acid. Common avian orders: Galliforms, Anseriforms, Columbiforms, Passeriformes,
Psittaciformes, Falconiformes, Strigiformes and Struthioniformes.
Avian skeleton characterized by:
1.Lightness due to the presence of pneumatic bones in avian bones through extensions from
air sacs into different bones as parts of skull, vertebral column (synsacrum), coracoid,
humerus, some parts of pelvic girdle.
2. Strength and rigidity through fusion of bones as cranium, notarium, synsacrum, and
pygostyle, also through fusion and deletion as in wing bones and pelvic limb.

Chicken skeleton:
a. Axial skeleton
1.Skull: Cranium characterized by Pneumatization of
some parts, cranial kinesis, holorhinal osseous opening,
large orbits, single optic foramen , Sclerotic ring, small
maxillary bone, single occipital condyle. The mandible
consists of two thin bones fused rostrally. The hyoid bone
forms the frame work of the tongue.
2. Vertebral column
Chicken vertebral formula C14 T7 L +S 12-13 Cd 6
Cervical vertebrae give the characteristic S-shape
of the neck.
Thoracic vertebrae are seven in number, some of
them exhibit fusion forming Notarium or Os dorsal.
Synsacrum is formed by the fusion of 12-13 lumbar
and sacral vertebrae. Caudal vertebrae consist of
five free vertebrae and the pygostyle. Pygostyle
(plow share bone) (tail bone) (rump post) is the final
part of vertebral column consist of 4-8 fused
vertebrae.
N.B: Sebaceous uropygial (oil or preen) gland: Is
the only skin gland, bilobed with a papilla, dorsal to
the pygostyle, it gives oily secretion to the body and
feathers during preening. In water fowl, it acts as a
waterproof secretion and insulating the part in the
water leading to their floating on water surface.
3. Thorax
Ribs: seven pairs of true ribs where the first two ribs are floating. They are consisted of
dorsal segment (vertebral rib) and ventral segment (sternal rib), except the floating ribs lack
the ventral segment and have no articulation with the sternum.
Uncinate processes are found in all ribs except the first and the last rib, they overlap the
succeeding ribs and give rigidity to the ribcage.
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Sternum (Breast Bone): is an extensive bone exhibiting a large ventrally directed keel, or
carina as the origin of the major flight muscles.

b. Appendicular skeleton
Pectoral girdle: a pair of fused clavicles (furcula), coracoids, scapulae.
The furcula (good luck bone) is a slender rod like bones, fused ventrally and connected to the
cranial apex of the sternum by hypocleidial ligament. The
coracoids are large, hollow bones, and invaded by air from the
clavicular air sacs. The scapula is a long, flat bone, extends
caudally parallel to the vertebral column.

The Wing: humerus, radius, ulna, carpal bones,

carpometacarpus and digits.
The Humerus is the largest one of them, with a pneumatic foramen at proximal which is
connected to clavicular air sac. The Ulna is larger than radius in width but both are of
approximately equal in length. The shaft of ulna has small bony projections on the outer
surface of shaft which represent points of attachment for secondary feathers of the wing.
Carpal bones are radiale (radial carpal bone) and ulnare (ulnar carpal bone). They are similar
to the proximal row of carpal bones in mammals, while the distal row fuse embryologically
with metacarpus forming carpometacarpus.
The Carpometacarpus comprises the Metacarpus II as a small projection medially,
Metacarpus III and Metacarpus IV are long elements, fused distally leaving a large
interosseous space in between. Three digits in each wing: Digit III contains two phalanges
while Digit II and IV contain one phalanx each.

Pelvic girdle is formed by the fusion of 3 bones; ilium, ischium and pubis. Also ilium is fused
with the synsacrum. Pubic bone is long, thin, fused cranially with ischium then separates
from it by the Obturator foramen. Perforated acetabulum is present
between Ilium and ischium, also the large ilioischiatic foramen lies caudal
to the acetabulum.

Hind limb consists of femur, patella, tibiotarsus, fibula, sesamoid bone,

tarsometatarsus, digits. Femur (Thigh bone): the Head accommodate with the perforated
Acetabulum. a large groove rotular groove distally accommodates the patella. The
Tibiotarsus (drum stick) is the largest of the leg bones (larger than femur), formed by the
fusion of tibia and the proximal row of tarsal bones. Fibula is greatly reduced and attached to
tibiotarsus. Tarsometatarsus (shank) is formed by fusion of the distal row of tarsal bones
and metatarsus. No free tarsal bones and the hock joint is intertarsal joint between tibiotarsus
and tarsometatarsus. The shaft carry bony spur core in male chicken and turkey. Three large
trochleae on distal end for articulation with the digits, also metatarsal I attached to
tarsometatarsus medially. Hallux (digit I): is a short posteriorly
directed toe consisting of 2 phalanges. Digits II, III, IV have 3, 4, 5
phalanges respectively. The distal phalanx of each digit is a claw
which in life is covered by a horny claw externally.

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The External Anatomy of fowl: Skin processes which are soft
ornamental outgrowths of the
skin on the head: comb, wattle
and ear lobes. The head of turkey
characterizes by snood and ear
opening.
Scales are cornified epidermal patches on the shank
and feet. Spur is found in rooster (male chicken) and
male turkey on their caudomedial surface of shanks,
which is formed of osseous core and cone of horn and
used as a weapon in them.
Toes are four in number in chicken and turkey, while in toes of duck and geese have also
webs between toes for swimming in water.

The Avian Myology

Flight muscles:
Pectoralis muscle is the largest muscle in the avian body, is the fleshy mass of the breast.
Its origin is from the sternum and inserts on the ventral surface of the humerus. It is the major
flight muscle to depress the wing for the down stroke in flight.
Supracoracoideus muscle is a large, fusiform m. lying deep to pectoral m. its origin is from
the sternum and inserts its tendon on the dorsal surface of humerus through the triosseal
foramen. It acts to elevate humerus and the wing (upstroke of the wing).

White muscle fiber Red muscle fibers

(light meat) (dark meat)
Thick Diameter Thin Diameter
Low Blood supply Rich in Blood supply, Myoglobin,
Little Myoglobin mitochondria and fat
They use stores of glycogen to sustain muscle They sustain muscle contractions for long
contraction. If they fly , they quickly become periods using available components
fatigued
Predominate in flight muscle of short distance They found in the flight muscles of long
fliers as turkey, chickens distance fliers as Water birds, pigeons and
birds of prey.

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Bird Digestive system

The soft palate is absent in birds, therefore the

pharynx is not divided into nasal and oral.
1. Oropharynx is formed from the oral cavity and
pharynx.
Roof of oropharynx is incomplete hard palate as the
soft palate is absent. Single choanal slit as a longitudinal slit in the midline in
the caudal half of hard palate. It consists of a narrow rostral part (long and
narrow) and wide caudal part (short and wide).Infundibular slit
(common opening of right and left Eustachian tube) is a short
median longitudinal opening leading to infundibular cavity.
Floor of oropharynx has a less muscular tongue, with wide
dorsal and ventrolateral surfaces. It is connected by frenulum
linguae to the floor of mouth. Laryngeal inlet (glottis)
surrounded by laryngeal mound at the pharyngeal cavity.
N.B: Four openings of pharynx are single choanal cleft, infundibular slit, and glottis and
aditus esophagius.

2. Beak: Lips and teeth are absent and replaced by the beak which is hard keratinized
epidermal structure which covers the rostral parts of upper and lower jaws.
It is lost by wear and continuously replaced. The upper beak is short, narrow, pointed, on
either side caudally form the operculum which directed ventrally and partially close the
external nares. The lower beak covers the dentary bones of
mandible.

3. Esophagus Is a long, thin walled, extendible

musculomembranous tube, situated between oropharynx and
proventriculus. It is divided into cervical part, crop (ingluvies) and
thoracic part.
Cervical part is long, in the midline dorsal to larynx and trachea, at
the 5th cervical vertebrae go to the right side of the neck.
The crop is a saccular subcutaneous diverticulum from the ventral
wall of esophagus just cranial to thoracic inlet. Its mucosa has
longitudinal folds with mucous glands as in pigeon, doves and
budgies for the secretion of crop milk. Crop is absent in owls, Gulls.
Thoracic part is shorter than cervical part at the midline between
cranial thoracic air sacs and medial surface of left lobe of liver, then
it opens in the proventriculus.

4. Stomach
Proventriculus (glandular stomach) is a small elongated spindle organ directed
craniocaudally in the left ventral part of body cavity, its Wall is thick has visible papillae of
gastric glands for chemical digestion.
Isthmus is a light colored constriction between proventriculus and gizzard, dorsal to it found
the spleen with no papillae or plica.
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Gizzard (muscular stomach or ventriculus) is a large biconvex lens in shape, related to
left lobe of liver. It has a body and craniodorsal and caudoventral blind sacs. Two openings
are found the proventricular opening and duodenal opening.
Structure: its wall is very thick, well developed 4 muscles (craniodorsal M, Caudoventral M.,
Dorsolateral m., and ventrolateral m.) with tendinous center. Mucous membrane has a cuticle
called koiline which is a tough yellowish or greenish or brown membrane to protects the mm.
during mechanical digestion.

5. Small Intestine is the Principle site of chemical

digestion; also it has lymphoid nodules (peyer
patches).
Duodenum is U shaped composed of descending
part and ascending part enclosing the pancreas in
between.
Jejunum is 85-120 cm length, forming coils
Ileum is a Straight tube, 13-18 cm long, lies between
the two cecai.
The line of demarcation between jejunum and ileum
is the yolk sac remnant (Meckel diverticulum)
(vitelline diverticulum).

6. Large intestine
Two Cecai is 20 cm long each. Consists of 3 parts; Blind apex (reddish expanded blind part),
Middle body (greenish middle part) and Narrow base with cecal tonsils.
Colorectum is a short tube 8-10 cm continuous with ileum, opens caudally in the cloaca.

7. Cloaca: Is the common passage for the digestive and urogenital tracts
ended by the vent guarded by dorsal and ventral lips. It is divided by 2
internal folds (coprourodeal fold and uroproctodeal fold) into three parts:
Coprodeum, urodeum and proctodeum.
Coprodeum (colic part) is the largest chamber, coprourodeal fold is an
annular fold which is stretched and bulged out of the vent, dispelling
feaces without contaminating other parts of cloaca. Also this fold closes
the coprodeum during egg lying.
Urodeum (urogenital part) is the middle compartment, it receives dorsally 2 ureters and
laterally left oviduct in female and two ductus deferens in male
Proctodeum receives the openings of the cloacal bursa (bursa of fabricius) and the dorsal
proctodeal gland.
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Liver has 2 lobes: divided left lobe and
undivided right lobe containing
gallbladder on visceral surface except in
pigeon absent. The two bile ducts open in
the distal part of ascending duodenum
close to pancreatic ducts.

Bird Respiratory System

Nostril is slit like opening in the upper beak covered by

operculum (horny flap)
Nasal cavity is a conical cavity containing rostral, middle, and
caudal nasal conchae. Nasal cavities open into roof of
oropharynx by a long choanal cleft.
The only paranasal sinus in birds is the Infraorbital sinus.
The salt (nasal) gland is a pair of bilateral subcutaneous
small, oval gland dorsomedial to the medial canthus of the
eye. The ostrich, duck, goose, falcon and gull all have
functioning salt glands.
Cranial larynx opens in the floor of oropharynx by the glottis
which is surrounded by the laryngeal mound. It has no role in sound
production. Laryngeal cartilages are four cartilages: single cricoid and
procricoid and paired arytenoids
Trachea Consists of 108-126 complete
cartilaginous rings. The first and last parts of
trachea are signet ring While the middle part
consisted of broad and narrow parts, where the broad part overlap the
narrow part of succeeding and proceeding one.

Syrinx (Caudal larynx) is the organ of voice

It lies at the tracheal bifurcation
It consisted of cranial cartilages (tympanum) 4 rings in male, 3rings
in female, intermediate cartilages (tracheosyringeal) 4 C-shape
cartilaginous rings, caudal cartilages (bronchosyringeal) 3 half rings
on each side, Pessulus: wedge shape at the tracheal bifurcation and
Medial and lateral tympanic membranes for the production of sound.

Longitudinal Section At The Trachial Bifurcation Showing

The Syrinx

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Lungs are 2 small, pink, unlobed flattened, rectangular, unexpansible. It lies in the
craniodorsal part of body cavity. No pleural cavity. The lungs of birds are attached to thorax
and cannot inflate as birds have no diaphragm and no pleural cavity. There is no diaphragm
in birds, instead horizontal septum (saccopleural membrane).
Bronchial tree: Two primary bronchii extend along the lung and enters its ventral surface
and ends into the abdominal air sacs. Each Primary bronchus gives 40-50 secondary
bronchii. Secondary bronchii gives 400 – 500 parabronchii (tertiary bronchii) forming
parabronchial loops containg air capillaries (no alveoli).

Air Sacs are blind, thin walled enlargements of the

bronchial system of birds lungs. They are extended
outside the lungs. Some of them enter directly some
bones (pneumatized bones) while others pass between
skeletal muscles. Number of air sacs in chicken is 8 in
number: single cervical and clavicular air sacs, Paired
cranial thoracic, caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs

Bird Urinary System

It is characterized by the absence of renal pelvis, urinary bladder and
urethra. On the other hand urinary system of birds characterized by
the presence of renal portal system which is absent in mammals

Kidney: Left and right, Brown, elongated rectangular divided into 3

divisions; cranial lobe, middle lobe and caudal lobe. They are
symmetrical placed in contact with the pelvic bone and synsacrum.

Ureter: Paired and symmetrical and has two parts:

A. renal part: extends in the groove along the ventral surface of the
kidney.
B. pelvic part: extends from the caudal end of kidney to open in the
dorsal wall of the cloaca at the urodeum.

Bird Male Genital System

Testis is bean shape, 5 cm in breeding season and 2.5 cm in
non-breading season, yellowish white in color. Lie
symmetrically cranioventral to the cranial division of kidney,
related ventrally to the abdominal air sacs, proventriculus, liver
and intestine
Epididymis is elongated spindle, lies along the dorsomedial
aspect of testis.
Ductus deferens extends along the ventral surface of the
kidney lateral to the ureter. Parts of D.D: Sinus D.D, Zigzag
D.D, Dilated D.D., and papilla D.D. Ductus deferens opens
ventrolateral to the ureter on the lateral wall of urodeum.
There is no accessory sex gland in birds, therefore small
ejaculate with low volume.
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The copulatory apparatus (Phallus)
Absence of phallus Non- protrusible phallus Protrusible phallus
Pigeon , Psittacines Turkey , Chicken Duck, Geese, ostrich
Passerines, Birds of prey
Copulate via evertion of the Is present on the internal Elongated capable of true
cloaca of male into female surface of the vent intromission by lymph into
to transfer semen Consists of paired lateral cloaca of female
phallic body and median Duck and geese have curved
phallic body fibrous phallus that convey
During mating the lateral semen via spiral groove
bodies protrude and engorged
with lymph and form a groove
which receive the ejaculate
called cloacal kiss

Bird Female Genital System

Left ovary mature ovary resembles a bunch of grapes due
presence of follicles with various sizes which are
suspended to the ventral surface of ovary by follicular stalk.
Left ovary is attached to the cranial division of the left
kidney covered ventrally by abdominal air sacs.

Left oviduct is divided into: infundibulum (funnel shape

with fimbria), magnum (highly coiled part) and isthmus:
narrow part.
It conducts the fertilized ovum to the cloaca and add
nutrients by enclosing the ovum with membranes and a
shell for protection of embryo. It conveys spermatozoa to
the ovum.

Infundibulum Egg stays 15 mins, secretes Chalaziferous layer (thin dense albumin
layer) and chalaze
Magnum 3hrs, Secretes half the total albumin of the egg
Isthmus Egg stays 1.5 hr, Secrete more albumin (10%) and shell membranes
(inner and outer shell membranes)

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 Uterus Vagina
Short sac like, narrow cranial part and Is a muscular S-shape tube
pouch like caudal part
Egg stays for 20-21 hrs. Egg passes in it for few seconds
Deposition of shell, shell pigments and Its junction with uterus is marked by a
cuticle sphincter which has glandular crypts for
sperm storage up to 10-14 days