chicken leg dissections

Chicken Leg Dissection 

Aim:  In the dissection, you will locate and describe the various tissues and structure of the drumstick and thigh of a chicken

Material: Chicken drumstick with thigh, dissection probe, scalpel, dissecting scissors, paper towels, forceps, dissecting tray, gloves, disinfectant hand wash and spray

Safety:

1. wear gloves
2. do not put anything in your mouth (fingers, pens, etc) during the dissection
3. wash your hands thoroughly at the end of the dissection with antibacterial soap and hot water, ensure your hands are dried after washing
4. spray surfaces with antibacterial soap

Procedure:

place the chicken leg on a dissecting tray and examine the exterior features. The tough outer layer is called epidermis or skin. The small bumps covering the skin are where the feathers were attached.

1. The lower leg. This is called the drumstick and it is the equivalent of your lower leg. The large muscle at the back of the leg is the same as the gastrocnemius. It also includes two bones- the tibia the larger bone and the fibula the smaller bone.
2. examine the upper leg. On both a chicken and a human this part is called a thigh it contains the large bone called the femur.
3. carefully pull the skin off by sliding it down and off the lower leg. You may need to use your scalpel to remove it, but be careful not to cut any muscle tissue
4. question
5. the muscles of the leg, work in bundles. Separate a bundle of muscles by inserting your thumb into the muscles of the lower leg. You will notice that the muscle bundle is covered in a silvery lining called the fascia and this makes it hard to separate. But if you push hard enough you will tear it and find that separating muscle bundles is a lot easier
6. At either end of the muscles, you will see white cord-like tissue. These cords are called tendons. Tendons attach muscle to bones
7. Using the scalpel, carefully remove all the muscles from the lower leg. Using your dissection probe to examine any blood vessels you find and try to determine which muscles the blood is supplied to
8. Near the bone, you should see thin, thread-like strands. These are the nerves.
9. Using the dissecting scissors, cut across the tendons that join the muscles to the bones.you should end up with all the bones still attached to each other, but no muscle tissue present
10. Move the bones around the joints. The main joint between the bones can move only in one plane
11. Using your scalpel, carefully cut the ligaments, keeping the bones together
12. In the joint between the bones is a piece of cartilage. Cartilage allows joints to move smoothly and protects the bones from shocks to the body
13. Break one bone in half and examine the marrow. This is where blood cells are made
14. Clean up your work area. Ensure you clean your bench using antibacterial spray. Wash your hands thoroughly with plenty of antibacterial soap and water

Observation: