Chicken Leg Dissection
Aim: For this dissection,
you ´ll find and explain the various tissues.
Materials:
- spray
- disinfectant hand wash
- gloves
- paper towels
- scalpels
- dissecting probe
- dissecting scissors
- Chicken Drumstick with a thigh
- forceps
- dissecting tray
Safet
y:
- Make sure to wear gloves
- Wash your hand after the dissection
- Make sure that your hand is dried
Method:
Procedure:
1. Place the chicken leg on a dissecting tray and examine (look at) the exterior feature. the tough outer
a layer is called the
epidermis (or skin). the small bumps covering the skin are where the feather was attached.
2. Examine the lower leg. this is called the drumstick and it is the equivalent (same as) of
your lower leg. the large muscle at the back of the leg is the as
your gastrocnemius. It also includes two bones -
the tibia (the larger one) and fibula (thinner, smaller one).
3. Examine the lower leg. On both a chicken and a human this part is called the thigh. It contains a large bone called the femur.
4. Carefully pull the skin off by sliding it down and off the lower leg. You may need to use a scalpel 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 with 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 the separating muscle bundles 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 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.
9. Near the bone, you should see thin, thread-like strands. These are the 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 bones around the joints. The main joint between the bones of the lower leg and femur is
a hinge joint like the one in your knee. Note how the bones can move only in one plane.
12. Using your scalpel, carefully cut the ligaments, keeping the bones together.
13. In the joint between the bones is a piece of cartilage. Cartilage allows joins to move smoothly and
protects the bones against shocks to the body.
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 spray. Wash your hands
thoroughly with plenty of antibacterial soap and water.
