Chicken dissection
Place the chicken leg on the dissecting tray and examine at the exterior features. The tough outer later is called the epidermis. The small bumps covering the skin are where the feathers were attached.
Examine the lower leg. This is called the drum stick and it is the equivalent of your lower leg. The large muscle at the back of the leg is the same as your gastrocnemius. It also includes 2 bones. The tibia and the Fibula.
Examine the upper leg. On both a chicken and a human this part is called the thigh. It contains a large bone called the femur.
Carefully pull the skin by sliding it done and off the lower leg. You may need to use your scalpel to remove it, but he careful not to cut any muscle tissue.
The yellowish material under the skin is fat.
The muscles of the egg, like all muscles, work in bundles. Separate a bundle of muscle by inserting your thumb into the muscles of the lower leg. You will notice that the muscle bundle is covered in a silvery lining called the fascia and this makes it hard to separate. But if you push hard enough you will tear it and find that separating muscle bundles is a lot easier.
At either end of the muscles, you will see the white cord like tissue. These cords are called tendons. Tendons attach muscle to bone.
Using the scalpel, carefully remove all the muscle from the lower leg. Using your dissection probe to examine any blood vessels you find and try to determine which muscles blood is supplied to.
Near the bone you should see thin, thread like strands. These are nerves.
Using the dissection scissors, cut across the tendons that join the muscles to the bones. Be careful not to cut any ligaments that attach bone to bone. You should end up with all the bones still attached to each other, but no muscle tissue present.
Move the bones around the joints. The main joint between the bones of the lower leg and the fur is a hinge joint like the one in your knee. Note how the bones can move only in one plane.
Use your scalpel, carefully cut the ligaments, keeping the bones together.
In the joint between the bones is a piece of cartilage. Cartilage allows joints to move smoothly and protects the bones against shock to the body.
Break one bone in half and examine the marrow. This is where the blood cells are made.
Clean up your work area. Ensure you clean your bench using antibacterial spray. Wash your hounds thoroughly with plenty of antibacterial soap and water.
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