Chicken Wing Dissection Lab
Name: ________________________
Partner: ______________________ Date: _________________
Purpose and Expectations
By the end of this lab, you will be expected to:
 identify and describe the various types of tissues visible in a chicken wing
 distinguish between a tendon and ligament in terms of both structure and function
 observe how muscle tissue behaves through flexion and extension
 demonstrate the basic skills necessary to perform a responsible and respectful dissection
Equipment and materials
disposable gloves
Styrofoam plate
probe
pencil
dissecting scissors
pencil crayons
forceps
fresh chicken wing
Safety
 You are NOT using a scalpel for this dissection
 Any cuts should be flushed with water immediately and reported to the teacher
 Hands and surfaces must be thoroughly washed with bleach to prevent Salmonella infection
Group Tasks:
There are three jobs for this lab listed below with their responsibilities. Assign a job to each individual.
Jobs
Coordinator
Dissector
Recorder
Job description
leader of the group; obtains the materials; ensures equipment is put away
properly according to instructions; directs the dissection by reading the
procedure.
performs the dissection and refers to coordinator for instructions; only s/he
wears the gloves; washes the equipment when the dissection is complete.
Assigned to:
records all observations and works with coordinator to ensure the lab
performance expectations are being met; produces the coloured and labeled
diagram.
ALL GROUP MEMBERS HELP WITH THE CONTENT OF THE SUMMARY.
Procedure:
1. The dissector obtains Styrofoam plate and obtains a chicken wing on it. Observe the external features of
the chicken wing and identify any of the four types of tissues visible before the dissection.
Remove the skin from the upper wing, and lower wing but NOT the wing tip
2. At the end of the upper wing (Figure 1, shown on p. 102 of your textbook), slip the tip of the dissecting
scissors between the skin and the muscles underneath. Make a small incision with the scissors, careful
to only cut the skin and not the muscle underneath. Using the forceps, lift one side of the cut skin.
Remove any tissue underneath with the sharp end of the probe or with the blade of the scissors. The
purpose here is to CLEANLY separate the skin from the muscle and bone underneath. Remove and
cut away the skin necessary to make the muscles and bones visible.
3. Fat: As you remove the skin, look for whitish yellowish fat tissue (just under the skin in places).
4. Muscle: Examine the muscle tissue; describe its appearance and texture.
5. Tendon: Locate and identify a tendon on the chicken wing. Look for at least two tendons.
6. Ligament: Locate and identify a ligament on the chicken wing.
7. Cartilage: Locate and identify cartilage on the chicken wing (generally, a shiny white covering of a joint
surface).
8. Flexing and Extending: Pick up the chicken wing and hold it horizontally above the foam plate. Using
the probe, pull on a muscle in the lower (larger) portion of the wing and observe the resulting movement.
Bend the joints of the chicken wing and observe how the muscles behave to accommodate the movement.
Find a pair of opposable muscles. Experiment by pulling on various muscles to see what muscle must
contract and what must relax for extension (straightening the wing) and which must contract and relax for
flexion (bending the wing)
Clean up and Disposal: Proper cleaning and disposal is important to avoid Contamination hazards.
DISSECTOR MUST KEEP GLOVES ON UNTIL FINISHED PERFORMING CHICKEN DISPOSAL AND
INSTRUMENT CLEAN UP PROCEDURES ARE FINISHED
1. Chicken Disposal:
Throw the plate and chicken parts away in the designated garbage bag (not the regular class room garbage)
2. Instruments: remove chicken bits from instruments carefully. Soak instruments in bleach solution for
10 minutes. Then retrieve and wash in soapy water then rinse in water bath. Dry very thoroughly and return
to the teacher.
3. Hands:
Dissector: remove latex gloves (put in chicken garbage).
Everyone: Wash hands with hand soap (not in the instruments bath) - Sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star” (in your head, once through) while you rub your soapy hands together to ensure proper
removal of bacteria.
Evaluation:
There will be a visual “Pin Quiz” next class on this dissection.
“Pin Quiz”:
You need to be able to identify parts (eg. Ligaments, cartilage, etc…), understand how their structure relates
to their functions, classify what type of tissue composes various parts of the wing, and answer any general
questions that involve the musculoskeletal system and this dissection activity.
To help you prepare for the pin quiz:
1. A copy of the summary table will be posted on our course website so you have a clearer pictures of the
wing to work with.
2. Watch the following chicken dissection videos on youtube. They’re quite good in showing you various
parts
a. MrAlvaricoScience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDANht5JPmg
b. and MrsSthestudyoflife http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OusR-Xx3XEQ