Chicken Facts...

                                                                                

                                                                                 

    

                                                   






                                                                             

 CHICKEN BONES

What did you think about when someone asks you to describe a bone? We usually think of human or other mammal bones. But chicken bones are very different than mammal bones.

Chicken bones are much lighter than the mammal bones. This is probably because a chicken is a bird, and birds have to fly. Lighter bones allow them to be lighter when flying. The chicken bones are lighter because some bones in their body have air sacs. Some other bones, like those in the skull have spaces in them

Another difference between chicken and mammal bones is that chicken bones have more minerals in them. Some of the minerals that chicken bones are rich with are calcium and phosphate. Mammal bones contain those minerals as well, but not  as much as in chicken.

THE SKELETON

SKULL

Skull of the chicken is made up many small  bones. The face of the chicken is made up of the nasal and the premaxillary bone. The largest bones in the chicken face are called frontal, parietal and temporal bone. They make up the cranium which is the back of the chicken head. There is also a mandible which is another word for the jaw bone.

BREAST

Skeletons of chickens are made up of many bones. One of the largest bones is the breast bone or sternum. It is so large that it covers more than half of the body cavity. Sternum has a carina, which is a large kneel.  Carina is used to attach the wings so that bird can fly. Chickens are not good flyers and usually can fly only a very short distance. This is why their carina is not as large as in the flying birds.

The breast bone attaches to the ribs.  Chickens have five or six pairs of ribs and these bones protect the organs inside.

BACKBONE

Chicken are vertebrates. Vertebrates are animals that have a backbone. A chicken backbone starts with the atlas. This is the small bone on top of the spine. This bone is important because it allows chicken to move their head.  Chicken usually have about 20 vertebrae, but this depends on the breed. The spine ends with a cervical bone

THE WISHBONE

Everyone has heard of a wish bone, The slingshot looking bone is sometimes pulled apart and a person who gets a larger part makes a wish. The wishbone is actually a clavical or collar bone. It connects the shoulders of a chicken. It also makes an opening so that digestive and respiratory tract can pass into the chicken body.

                                                                      CHICKEN FEET

Chicken feet are very complicated. The foot has 16 small bones. The bones that make up toes are called phalanx. The last phalanx of the toe is claw like. There are four toes and the third is the longest.

                                                                 


                                                              

 Wattles

Wattles are located under the chin. They are meaty, red growths. Chickens have two wattles. Both male and female chicken have wattles. Wattles do not just hang there, they actually have an important function. One of the things that wattles do is cool the chicken down. This happens when the blood circulates from the comb to the wattles. The circulating blood lowers the temperature of the chicken during the hot weather.

         
                                                             

                                                                     
                           So now that you know some chicken facts, your day is complete!  :0)