Trivial Pursuit: Chicken Anatomy Edition

I’m an educator by trade, experienced with curriculum development and public speaking. I’ve learned over the years that as much as I know about a subject I’m by no means an expert. I’m always looking for ways to learn more and to be better at what I do. When I started blogging about chickens I’d already had birds for almost a decade but I still wanted to explore the world of poultry keeping.

When the Covid-19 shutdown first hit I had more time on my hands since I was able to work from home. In addition to writing full length science-based articles for this blog, I started posting small snippets of information on my Facebook page, a platform more appropriate for folks scrolling through competing sites.

These posts consisted of short stories, photos of health issues and quizzes. I recently stumbled across my ‘minis’ file and thought I would post some of them here.

Here is your opportunity to test your knowledge about chickens. Grab a piece of paper and jot down the answers (no cheating). Once you’re finished scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answer.

#1 How familiar are you with chicken anatomy? Take a look at this image, write numbers 1-19 on the page and then jot down the names of the organs labelled.

#2 I thought you might find this drawing of an avian oviduct helpful in understanding how eggs get fertilized. After ovulation, the ovum travels to the infundibulum and sperm ascending the oviduct fertilizes it within 15 minutes of its release. After fertilization, the surface of the zygote is enveloped by several layers that make up a fully formed egg (albumen, shell membrane, egg shell and bloom). It continues through the passage of the oviduct and is then laid outside of the body. The timeframe of the ovum’s journey throughout each part of the oviduct is given on the left.

Image credit: Journal of Reproduction and Development

#3 Did you know? Although it may look as though birds have a backwards pointing knee they don’t! The actual knee, where the femur and tibiotarsus meet, is covered by feathers and therefore not readily visible. What looks like a backwards pointing knee is actually the ankle. Birds don’t have a backwards pointing knee, they have an elongated ankle. – Jeff Duguay

#4 Have you ever opened a chicken’s beak and had a good look inside? If you have you’ll know it’s kind of funky. It’s the port of entry for food which will be processed by the digestive system, but also for various pathogenic microbes that can cause respiratory and digestive system illnesses, as well as parasites and viral infections.

It’s important to understand the anatomy of a chicken’s mouth if you are treating for crop issues or giving oral medications or water.

If you take a look at the base of the tongue you’ll see the opening to the trachea and esophagus. If you try to ‘vomit’ your bird in an attempt to treat an impacted crop the dislodged contents can enter there. Or when giving oral meds or water via syringe you can accidentally push them into there. In either case, fluids or food particles entering the lungs can kill a bird.

Understanding the anatomy of their mouth can help you avoid making a medical situation worse. For more information on how to safely administer oral medications check out the post below.

Answer #1

1. Trachea (windpipe)
2. Esophagus (food tube leading to the crop)
3. Crop (food storage pouch)
4. Proventriculus (glandular stomach)
5. Spleen
6. Liver – right lobe
7. Gizzard / Ventriculus (muscular stomach for grinding feed)
8. Liver – left lobe
9. Duodenum (first loop of the small intestine)
10. Jejunum / Ileum (mid-to-lower small intestine)
11. Pancreas (embedded in the duodenal loop)
12. Cecal pouches (ceca)
13. Large intestine / rectum
14. Cloaca / vent
15. Oviduct (magnum → isthmus → shell gland area)
16. Kidney
17. Ovary with developing follicles (yolks)
18. Gallbladder (and bile ducts)
19. Lungs (firm, lobulated, adhered to ribs)