Name ____________________________________
OLS
Chicken Leg Dissection
Date ___________
Homeroom____# _____
INTRODUCTION: Similar in some respects to the human leg, the chicken leg and thigh are
composed of numerous different cells, tissues and organs. These body parts interact and
cooperate to allow the chicken to perform a variety of activities such as walking, hopping,
sitting, and standing. In this lab you are to investigate the various tissues and structures of the
leg and thigh of a chicken.
MATERIALS:
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Chicken leg
Blunt and sharp dissecting probes
Scalpel
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Paper towels
Forceps
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Dissecting pan
Scissors
PROCEDURE:
1. Become familiar with your chicken leg. Using the terms from last night, identify if it is a
right or left leg by deciding lateral, medial, dorsal and ventral regions based on the cut of the
lower abdominal/pelvic area. Which leg do you have, right or left? (circle one)
2. Place a chicken leg in your dissecting pan, medial side up.
CAUTION: Scalpels and scissors are very sharp. Use extreme care. Only cut downward
and/or away from your body.
3. Carefully remove the skin and subcutaneous fat. Use fingers, blunt probe, and scalpel. Do
not cut any muscle tissue yet! Where is the fat more numerous, in the thigh or leg? More in the
medial, lateral, anterior, or posterior?
4. You may be able to pull the skin off of the end of the drumstick. When through, be sure to
return the leg to the medial side.
5. Now that the skin and fat are off, you can more easily see the muscle tissue. Describe the
muscles that you see; focus on color and texture.
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6. Beginning with the lower leg, separate the epimysium from each muscle. Use your fingers,
the blunt probe. What is the purpose of the thin epimysium? Refer to last nights terms and
write your answer below.
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8. Now remove the muscles of the femur. You need not be a delicate as this could be a time
consuming task. Be aggressive, as we have seen most of the important tissues already. You
will be able to see the movement of the tendons as they contract. Again, try to remove as much
of the muscle tissue as possible to get to the leg bone.
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9. Locate the tendons that were attached. Briefly describe these.
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10. You will notice that there are a number of blood vessels deep within the mass of muscles.
They probably will be found 2-3cm, posterior to the femur with fat and nerves near by.
Describe the physical appearance of any blood vessels you see.
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11. There are two main types of blood vessels; arteries and veins. Arteries are generally more
muscular (thicker) than veins. What type of blood vessel do you think you found?___________
Did you notice both types of blood vessels? Did you see any physical difference between the
two?____________. If so, what is the difference? ______________________________.
12. Nerves are generally thin, threadlike white strands found between the muscle and the
nearest bone. Look for the nerve in your specimen. Do you see any? Yes or No
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13. Once the bone is fully cleaned off, ask Mrs. Mallay to “snap” the bone in half. Do not do
this yourself as it can be difficult and the bone may splinter. Explain what you saw on the
inside of your bone.
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WHEN THIS LAB IS COMPLETED:
• BE SURE TO WASH (with soap) AND DRY ALL INSTRUMENTS
-Your homework is to write a comprehensive conclusion about what you've learned. I expect a
minimum of one side of one page for your conclusion. Do not simply summarize the lab, I
know what went on. Discuss the levels of cellular organization and how it applies to what you
saw. Attach this summary to the front of these pages and turn in on Monday.
Terms to know
Lateral- side
medial – at the middle
dorsal –of the back
ventral-lower body at front
anterior-in front
posterior-near the back/bottom
subcutaneous-under the skin
epimysium-covering of connective tissue surrounding a
muscle
tendon- an inelastic cord or band of tough white fibrous
connective tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone or
other part
ligament- a sheet or band of tough fibrous tissue that
connects bones or cartilage at a joint or supports an
organ, muscle, or other body part
marrow-soft red/yellow tissue inside bones where
blood cells are produced.
femur-main bone in vertebrate leg