Aim: In this dissection, you will locate and describe the various tissues and structures of the drumstick and thigh of a chicken.
Materials: Chicken drumstick, with thigh, dissecting probe, scapel, 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 hand thoroughly atthe end of the dissection woth anitbacterial soap and hot water.
Ensure youe hands are dried after washing.
4. Spray surfaces with antibacterial soap.
Procedure:
1. Place the chicken leg on a dissecting tray and examine (look at ) the exterior features. The tough outer layer is called the epidermis (or skin). The small bumps covering the skin are where the feathers were attached.
2.Examine the lower leg. This is called the drumstick and it is the equivalent of your lower leg. The large muscle at the back of your leg is the same as your gastrocnemius. It also includes two bones-the tibia (the larger one) and the fibia (the thinner and smaller one).
3. Examine the upper leg. On both a chicken and a human this part is called the thigh. It contains a larger bone called the femur.
4. Carefully pull your skin off by sliding it down and off the lower leg. You may need to use your scalprl to remove it, but be careful not to cut any muscle tissue.
5. The yellowish material under the skin is fat (adipose).
6.The muscles of the leg, like all muscles, work in bundles. Separate a bundle of muscle 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 eill tear it and that separating muscle bundled is a lot easier.
7. At either end of the muscles, you will see white cord-like tissue. These cords are called tendons. Tendons attach muscle to bone.
8. Using the scapel, 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.
9.Near the bone you should see thin, thread-like strands. These are nerves.
10. Using the dissection scissors, cut across the tendons that join the muscles to the bones. Be careful not to cut any ligaments that attach bone to bone. You should end up with all the bones still attached to Each other, but no muscle tissue present.
11. Move the bomes around the joints. The main joint between the bones of the lower leg and the femur is a hinge joint like the ome in your knee. Note now the bones can move only in one plane.
12. Using your scapel, carefully cut the ligaments, keeping the bones together.
13. In the joint between the bones is a piece of cartilage. Cartilage allows joints to move smoothly and protects the bones against shocks to the body part.
14. Break one Bone in half and examine the marrow. This is where blood cells are made.
15 clean up your work area. Ensure you clean your bench using antibacterial sprat. Wash your hand thoroughly eith plenty of antibacterial soap and water.
