Bataan Peninsula State University

Campus of Golden Plow

Abucay Campus
Bangkal, Abucay, Bataan

Animal Science 0213

Introduction to Livestock and Poultry Production
Poultry Production Portion

Laboratory Exercise No. 7

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE CHICKEN
Name: Ann Nicole S. Valdez Year and Sec.: 2 - A Date: December 6, 2021 Score: _______

I. Introduction

II. Objectives

III. Materials

Illustrations / posters of a fowl

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IV. Procedure

1. Lecture / discussion
a. The external parts of the chicken and other poultry species
b. The digestive system of a fowl
c. The reproductive systems of a male and female fowl
d. Other biological systems of a fowl

2. Accomplish and submit attached laboratory report

V. Supplemental Information

A. The Digestive System of Fowl

The digestive system includes the digestive tract and its associated glands. It is consisted of a
tubular structure where man function is for the ingestion and digestion of food. Its ultimate
purpose is to provide efficient assimilation of nutrients necessary for life, growth and
reproduction. The gastrointestinal tract provides the most readily accessible route for substances
to enter the body. It has the ability to select and reject food materials (palatability/safety).
The fowls digestive system is also called modified simple type of digestive tract. This is so due
to the presence of some peculiar parts such as the crop, proventriculus and the gizzard. The
location of the proventriculus being situated before the gizzard helps the fowl to be more
efficient digestive of food.

B. The Reproductive System Of Chickens

1. The Female Reproductive System

A. The Ovary

The ovary is the primary reproductive organ of the female chicken. Normally,
there is only one functional ovary and it is the left. It is located at the median
line of the body just posterior to the lungs and at the anterior end of the kidney.
It is attached to the dorsal wall of the body cavity.

The ovary begins to develop as early as 12 weeks old in female chickens. In an

inactive condition, it is a whitish mass of irregular contour. In the active
conditions, it appears as a yellowish cluster of spheres of varying sizes.

The ovary produces the reproductive cells called ova (ovum singular). There are
as many as 3,600 ova that can be counted in the ovary of a hen.

The egg cell (ova) is provided with a large amount of yolk materials in
preparation for the nutrient supply of the expected embryo that will be
developed from it.

B. The Oviduct

This is a very important accessory organ of the female reproductive system in

order to produce a completely formed egg. The oviduct is a coiled tube and if it
is in an active stage, it occupies a large part of the left half of the abdominal
cavity posterior to the ovary. It is suspended from the dorsal wall of the body.

The oviducal tube is composed of several parts. Each part has very specific
function in egg formation.

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 The vagina is also the closest in proximity to the cloaca. When natural mating
takes place or when artificial insemination is done, the posterior end of the
vaginal tube is everted to receive the seminal discharge of the male.

The interval between laying (oviposition) and the next ovulation is

approximately 30 minutes. In an open mated flock especially the common barn
yard fowls (native chickens), the females is very receptive to mating shortly
after egg laying since at this time the lines is free.

On the average it takes about 25-26 hours for an egg to pass the entire length of
the oviduct.

C. The Male Reproductive System

The testes are the primary reproductive organs of the male. It is located in the body cavity at the
anterior end of the kidneys and posterior to the lungs. They are bean-shaped organs, generally
yellowish-cream in color. Black or gray colored testis are not unusual in some breeders. The size
of the testes varies with the age and body weight of the rooster. The left testis is usually larger
than the right.
Each testis is consists of a large number of slender tubes, called the seminiferous from the linings
of which the reproductive cells or sperm cells are produced. In between the seminiferous tubules
are intestinal cells which produces the hormone androgen responsible for the development of
secondary sexual characters and the sex libido in males.

Each testis is connected to the vas deferens. The vas deferens are two whitish convulated tubes
that terminates in the cloaca where rudimentary copulatory organ, the papilla which is present.
An enlargement at the dorsal portion of the vas deferens is called epididymis. Sperm cells from
the testes with the seminal fluid from the epididymis are conveyed together through the vas
deferens at an ejaculation during copulation. Semen deposition of chicken in natural mating
takes place by contact of the male cloaca everted vaginal tube of the female.

VI. Label the parts. Identify the gender and label the external parts of the fowl.
1
6

2
4 7
3

10

12 13
14
15

16
17 11

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 A. Male / Rooster gender

1 Comb 6 Sickle feather 11 Toes 16 Spur

12 Lesser Sickle
2 Cape 7 Hackle 17 Claw
feather

3 Back 8 Shoulder 13 Fluff

4 Saddle 9 Wing front 14 Hock Joint

5 Main tail feathers 10 Wing bow 15 Shank

1
3

6
7 4
8

B. Female/ Hen gender

1 Hackle 3 Tail feathers 5 Fluff 7 Shank

2 Back 4 Toes 6 Hock joint 8 Claw

Identify the biological systems, parts and give functions. (Please attach the photos of the
digestive, reproductive and urinary systems of chicken with proper label)

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A. Reproductive System
Functions

1.Ovary - is a cluster of developing

ova, and is located midway between
the neck and the tail of the bird and
attached at the back.

2. Infundibulum - i
long and engulfs
the ovum released
The released
yolk stays in place, a
infundibulum
moves to surround
remains in the
infundibulum for 15
Fertilization,
if it is going to occu
the
infundibulum.

3.Oviduct - When ovulation occurs,

the ovum (yolk) enters the oviduct.
The oviduct is a twisted tube that is
25 to 27 inches long when fully
developed and is divided into five
major sections. These sections are the
infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, shell gland, and vagina.

4.Magnum - 3 inches long, it is the largest section of the oviduct, as its name implies (magnum
being the Latin word for “large”). The yolk remains here 3 hours, during which time the thick
albumen (egg white) forms.

5.Isthmus - is slightly constricted (the term isthmus referring to a narrow strip of land joining
two larger tracts of land). The isthmus is where the inner and outer shell membranes form. The
developing egg remains here for 75 minutes.

6.Uterus - In this section, the shell forms on the egg. The shell largely is made of calcium
carbonate. The hen’s body mobilizes 8 to 10 percent of body calcium from its bones to make the
egg’s shell.

7.Vagina -The vagina does not really play a part in egg formation but is important in the laying
of the egg. The vagina is made of muscle that helps push the egg out of the hen’s body. The
bloom, or cuticle, forms on the egg in the vagina prior to oviposition (the laying of the fully
formed egg). The egg travels through the oviduct small end first but turns in the vagina and
comes out large end first.

8.Cloaca - it is the single posterior opening for a bird's digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts
and is used to expel feces and lay eggs. The cloaca is found on the rear of the body under the
base of the tail, covered by feathers on the extreme lower abdomen.

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B. Digestive System
Functions

1.Beak - First, it is the chicken's mouth.

Second, it is used for fighting and
protection. And third, it functions as the
teeth of the chicken, enabling the bird to
break grass, bananas and other foods into
pieces small enough to swallow.

2.Esophagus - Transports food from the

mouth to the stomach.

3.Crop - A pouch in the esophagus used

to store food temporarily before moving
it on to the stomach.

4.Proventriculus - Principally the organ where food is broken into smaller units.

5.Gizzard - modified for grinding food. It has a thick muscular wall and may contain small
stones, or gastroliths, that function in the mechanical breakdown of seeds and other foods.

6. Small Intestine - Aids in digestion and nutrient absorption. Composed of the duodenum,
jejunum and ileum.

7. Ceca - Bacterial action in the ceca helps break down undigested food passing through the
intestine.

8. Colon - to absorb water, dry out indigestible foods and eliminate waste products.

9. Cloaca - used to expel feces and lay eggs.

10. Liver - Its primary function in digestion and absorption is the production of bile.

11. Gall Bladder - aids in the digestion of fats. It mainly serves as a storage facility for bile
produced by the liver.

12. Pancreas - Produce pancreatic juice which is a mixture of digestive enzymes. Produce the
hormones insulin and glucagon that are involved in the metabolism of carbohydrate.

C. Urinary System Functions

1.Kidneys - o manage the acid-base balance of the chicken's

body, excrete water and excrete metabolic waste.

2.Ureters - carries the urine produced by the kidneys to the cloaca

where it leaves the body.

3.Bladder - bladder's walls relax and expand to store urine, and

contract and flatten to empty urine through the urethra.

4.Urethra - This tube allows urine to pass outside the body.

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5.Sphincter - to regulate the passage of some type of fluid, such as bile, urine, or fecal matter.
D. Write a brief description and functions of other biological systems of the fowl. (Use another
sheet of paper)

1. Integumentary System - The integumentary system includes the epidermis, dermis,

hypodermis, associated glands, hair, and nails. In addition to its barrier function, this system
performs many intricate functions such as body temperature regulation, cell fluid
maintenance, synthesis of Vitamin D, and detection of stimuli.

2. Skeletal System – works as a support structure for your body. It gives the body its shape,
allows movement, makes blood cells, provides protection for organs and stores minerals. The
skeletal system is also called the musculoskeletal system.

3. Muscular System - composed of specialized cells called muscle fibers. Their predominant
function is contractibility. Muscles, attached to bones or internal organs and blood vessels,
are responsible for movement. Nearly all movement in the body is the result of muscle
contraction.

4. Nervous System – body's command center. Originating from your brain, it controls your
movements, thoughts and automatic responses to the world around you. It also controls other
body systems and processes, such as digestion, breathing and sexual development puberty.

5. Excretory System – to remove wastes from the body. These wastes include water, CO2,
nitrogen, salts, and heat. Metabolism: The process of the body converting food into energy.
As a result of metabolism, there are waste products.

6. Endocrine System – regulates all biological processes in the body from conception through
adulthood and into old age, including the development of the brain and nervous system, the
growth and function of the reproductive system, as well as the metabolism and blood sugar.

7. Respiratory System - the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. This system
helps your body absorb oxygen from the air so your organs can work. It also cleans waste
gases, such as carbon dioxide, from your blood. Common problems include allergies,
diseases or infections.

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