Chicken wing dissection:
Questions:
1. What is a tendon? __________________________________________________
2. What is a ligament?_________________________________________________
3. What is cartilage? __________________________________________________
Safety
- Raw chicken may be contaminated by Salmonella, a pathogenic bacteria. Keep your
hands away from your face and mouth throughout this investigation.
- Be cautious when using sharp dissection tools
- Wash your hands when finished with the activity
What to do
1. Start from the fattest end of the wing. Gently lift and pull the skin away from the
meat underneath. The skin is attached to the meat by thin membrane.
2. Use your scissors to gently cut this membrane allowing the skin to lift off. This
meat is actually chicken muscle. Remove the skin down to the first joint and try not
to cut any of the muscle.
3. You should now be able to see several large muscles around the bone.
4. Hold the wing at the shoulder and pull on the muscles of the upper wing one at a
time. Observe what happens.
5. Using the diagram below, draw the muscles attached to specific points on the
chicken wing bones. Use different colours to indicate whether the muscles
stretches or bends the wing.
DIAGRAM
6. Follow each muscle to the joint between the upper and lower wing. Observe the
silvery white cords connecting the muscle to the joints. These are tendons, add
them to your diagram.
7. Observe how the bones fit together at the joint. Identify any ligaments and add
them to your diagram. The shiny, white covering of the joint surfaces is made of
cartilage. Label cartilage on your diagram.
What does the cartilage feel like? ____________
8. Continue the dissection by removing the skin to the next joint, there are many
more muscles here.
9. Have a go at manipulating these too and see how the muscles work to control the
wing. Add any extra information you gain to your diagram
10. Separate the bone of the upper wing and clean the bone. Once clean, add it to a
jar of vinegar or water (for another experiment called ‘rubbery bones’).
Pack-up instructions:
Wrap all of the leftover chicken and used gloves in newspaper and put into the bin.
Return the dissecting equipment to the tray of hot soapy water at the front. Spray your
bench and wipe it clean.