Chicken Muscle Dissection

In the lab, we distinguished significant muscles and muscle bunches in a chicken by slicing through the skin with scissors and a scalpel. The muscles in the chicken have comparable structures and shapes as the muscles in the human body. The muscles connect the bones by a tendon, white connective tissue, so that when the muscles contract, the bones and body move. If the biceps brachii contracts, and the triceps humeralis unwinds, the tendons that connect the muscles to the humerus, ulna, and radius, would pull the bones at the elbow joints and twist the arm. The tendons are what keep the muscles and bones connected and provides movement when the muscle pulls on the tendon which moves the bone. At the origin, the tendon is fixed during muscle contraction, while at the insertion sites the tendons move during contraction to move the joints properly. The muscles in the chicken are like people, but there are several key differences. The pectoralis major and minor are both relatively bigger in the fowl than in people because they have been reared to have more meat in those areas. Another contrast would be that we have a muscle in the thigh called gluteus maximus, and the chicken has iliotibialis, despite the fact that the elements of those muscles are basically the same. Also, in comparison to chickens, humans have relatively small tibialis major.


The muscles in the chicken:

The pectoralis major is larger in birds than humans because it is developed from flying.

The pectoralis minor attaches to the shoulder muscle from right under the pectoralis major

The trapezius pulls the shoulder back during flight for birds.

The latissimus dorsi works to extend the wings on the back of the bird.

The deltoid raises the upper part of the wing on the top part of the shoulder of the bird.

The biceps brachii bends the wing on the upper area of the wing.

The triceps humeralis both bends and extends the wing in chickens. It is below the biceps brachii.

The flexor carpi ulnaris is in the lower area of the wing.

The brachioradi alis is on the lower area of the wing as well and extends from the elbow to the thumb.

The sartorius runs from the thigh to the pelvis and flexes the thigh.

The iliotibialis is on the lateral side of the thigh in birds. In humans, it is on the dorsal side and is called the gluteus maximus.

The biceps femoris functions as part of the hamstring group and is medial to the iliotibialis.

The semimembranosus is also part of the hamstring group and is inferior to the biceps femoris.

The semitendinosis is part of the hamstring group and is anterior to the semimembranosis.

The quadriceps compose much of the thigh and makes up a lot of the front and inner portions of the thigh.

The gastrocnemius is attached to the Achilles tendon and is on the back of the drumstick of the chicken.

The peronus longus extends the foot and is on the lateral side of the drumstick.

The tibialis anterior flexes the foot and is on the lateral side of the shin bone.

The tendon is the connective tissue that attaches the muscles to the bones.