LESSON 4: POULTRY BODY SYSTEMS AND FUNCTIONS

STRUCTURE
• About Poultry
• Parts of a chicken
• Body systems and functions
• External parts of birds
• Internal parts of birds
• Summary

LEARNING OUTCOME
After going through this lesson, you will be able to:
• Identify different external and internal parts of chicken
• Describe the skeletal, muscular circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urinary
(excretory), male and female reproductive systems of Poultry

ABOUT POULTRY

Poultry is a warm blooded vertebrate; which means that their body temperature is relatively
high and usually almost constant. They lay eggs that are incubated outside the body. During
natural embryonic development, the eggs of the poultry are covered by the hen and they are
maintained at a temperature close to her body temperature for the entire incubating period.
An understanding of how various systems function within the body of the poultry makes it
easier to know why certain practices are recommended time to time in different chapters
related to poultry farming. From the structural standpoint, poultry is an interesting creature. It
possesses feathers, has a breastbone and spur, but lacks teeth. Within poultry, chickens have a
comb, which sets it apart from others birds. The comparison with most of the other domestic
animals used for the production of food for mankind, the poultry is a short lived creature. It is
a rapid breather, has a pulse rate of about 300 to 370 beats per minute and digests its food
relatively quickly. The body temperature is higher than that of other domestic animals,
averaging about 41°C or 106°F with variations between day and night temperatures.
PARTS OF A CHICKEN

BODY SYSTEMS AND FUNCTIONS

Before discussing the management of the poultry, it is necessary to have some basic
knowledge of the physical feature of the poultry itself.
EXTERNAL PARTS OF BIRDS
The bird’s body is covered with a combination of skin, feathers and localized scales, with the
latter being a derivative of reptiles.
(i) Feathers: Birds are almost completely covered with feathers. During the evolutionary
process of the poultry, most of the reptilian scales changed to feathers. Both scales and
feathers are chiefly composed of the same protein and keratin. Feathers serve many purposes
such as:
 Helps in flying
 Providing insulation from extremes of temperature (heat and cold)
 Protection from rain and snow
The condition of the feathers often serves to indicate whether a bird is sick or healthy. In
certain breeds and varieties, the changes in the colour or colour pattern of the feathers serve
as an index of certain nutritional deficiencies in the diet.
Since the feathers serve as insulation and the heat loss is roughly proportional to the surface
area of the body, it is interesting to observe that the weight of feathers bears a closer
relationship to body weight than does the number of feathers. The feathers in large sized birds
tend to be larger than in small sized birds. Neither the weight nor the number of feathers
serves as a satisfactory index of the insulating or thermoregulatory capacity of feathers. The
weight of feathers apparently varies from about 4 to 8 per cent of live body weight with a
difference being related to age, sex etc. Older male birds have a lower percentage of feathers
than the females and younger birds. The number of feathers on birds in most of the breed
varies from about 6,000 to 9,500. The order of the appearance of the various feather tracts is:
shoulder and thigh; rump and breast; neck, abdomen and leg; back, wing coverts and head.
(ii) Head: The head of the chicken includes the following parts:
(a) Comb: There are several types of comb such as single, rose, pea, cushion,
strawberry, walnut, V and butter cup. Out of this, single, rose and pea combs are
common in commercial chicken. Comb type is the result of gene interaction, but
comb size is associated with gonadal development and the intensity of light, either
natural or artificial.
(b) Eyes: Poultry have the ability to differentiate various colours and have superior
ability to focus and to detect movements. The avian eye is the finest ocular organ
in the animal kingdom.
(c) Eyelids: The prominent laterally located eyes are provided with upper and lower
lids.
(d) Eye rings: Inner margin of eyelids.
(e) Eyelashes: Bristle feathers composed of a straight shaft.
(f) Ears: Avian species are known for their keen sense of hearing. Their voice
production and ability to intimate sounds infers an exceptional degree of pitch
discrimination.
(g) Earlobes: Fold of the skin just below the ears in fowls.
(h) Wattles: The two red pendulous muscles on either side of the eye or near the
beak.
(i) Beak: The beak is a multi-functional organ of considerable importance. It is
involved in procuring food, defence and aggression in social behaviour, courtship,
nest making, grooming and communication. Its normal functions are often
adversely affected by improper beak trimming.
(iii) Feet and shanks: The shanks and most parts of the feet are covered with scales of
various colours. Yellow is due to dietary carotenoid pigments in the epidermis when melanic
pigment is absent. Varying shades of black are the result of melanic pigment in the dermis
and the epidermis. When there is black in the dermis and yellow in the epidermis, the shanks
have a greenish appearance. In the complete absence of both of this pigment, the shanks are
white. Important parts of the shank and foot are:
(a) Hock: The joint portion between thigh and shank
(b) Shank: The lower portion of the leg
 (c) Toes: Most chickens have four toes on each foot, but there are a few breeds with
five toes.
(iv) Skin: Most of the chicken’s body is covered with a thin skin. The absence of sweat
glands makes it impossible for the bird to cool itself by evaporation from the surface of the
body. The skin has a coarser texture in the areas of the comb, wattles, earlobes, beak, scales,
spurs and claws.
In short, the external body parts of poultry can be divided into five different regions and their
parts are as follows:
Sl. Name of the Chicken Duck Turkey
No region
1. Head i. Comb i. Bill i. Eye
ii. Point of comb ii. Eye ii. Ear
iii. Blade of comb iii. Ear iii. Beak
iv. Base of comb iv. Nostril iv. Snood
v. Beak v. Nostrils
vi. Eye vi. Throat wattles
vii. Ear vii. Ear opening
viii. Ear lobe
ix. Wattle
x. Nostrils
2 Neck i. Hackle i. Neck feather i. Caruncle
3. Trunk or body i. Wing bow i. Wing bow i. Body coverts
ii. Wing bar ii. Wing bar ii. Breast
iii. Breast iii. Breast iii. Secondary and
primary feathers
iv. Primary feather iv. Primary feather
v. Secondary feather v. Secondary feather
vi. Axial feather vi. Axial feather
vii. Fluff vii. Fluff
viii. Back viii. Back
4. Tail i. Saddle feather i. Tail feather i. Tail
ii. Sickle feather
iii. Lesser sickle
feather
iv. Main tail feather
5. Limbs i. Thigh i. Thigh i. Thigh
ii. Drum stick ii. Drum stick ii. Hock
iii. Hock iii. Hock iii. Shank
iv. Shank iv. Shank iv. Spur
v. Spur v. Spur v. Toenail
vi. Toes vi. Toes vi. Toes
vii. Toe nail vii. Toe nail
viii. Claws viii. Claws
ix. Prominent web
Body parts of a chicken

Body parts of a duck

Body parts of a turkey

INTERNAL PARTS OF BIRDS
The internal surface of the bird’s body consists of various systems like skeletal, muscular,
respiratory, urinary, circulatory, nervous, digestive and reproductive systems. The details of
each system are detailed below:
(i) Skeleton (The skeletal System):
The skeleton of the chicken is light in weight, but is very strong. The bones are especially
rich in calcium salts and are thus very dense. There are 13 or 14 cervical vertebrae and 7
thoracic vertebrae in the vertebral column. Several of the coccygeal vertebrae are fused to
form the last segment of the coccygeal group. This segment is called the “pygostyle”, the last
bone being called the “urostilus”. The pygostyle forms the skeletal support for the feathers of
the tail.
The chicken has seven pairs of ribs. The sternum is long and broad and support for viscera.
The relative position of the two pubic bones to each other and the relative distance between
the ends of the pubic bones and the posterior end of the sternum in hens that are in laying
condition as compared with hens that are not in laying condition are important for judging of
birds. When a hen is in laying condition, the pubic bones are spread far apart and there is a
considerable space between the ends of the pubic bones and the end of the sternum. This
factor is of practical importance in culling laying flock. Bones found in the skull, humerus,
keel, clavicle and some vertebrae are hollow and connected to the respiratory system with air
continually moving in and out of these specialized bones. There is also a soft, spongy bone
material known as modularly bone present in varying amounts in the long leg bones (Femur
and Tibia), and certain other bones of the skeleton of females. This meduallary is used to
store calcium for later use in egg shell formation.
(ii) Muscles (The muscular system):
The chicken has a very complex muscular system but there are only a few details of interest
to students of poultry Husbandry. The breast or pectoral muscles are the largest of all the
muscles and besides enabling the bird to raise and lower its wing, sometime provide the
largest share of meat obtained from a chicken. Muscles are categorized by their function as
voluntary or in voluntary. Voluntary muscles are used for movement and flight while
involuntary muscles (smooth muscles) are used in the functioning of organs such as the heart,
intestines, blood vessels and others. Muscles that move the wings are attached to the keel
(breastbone). These muscles also support the vital organ of the abdominal cavity. These
muscles are well developed in most birds, but especially in meat type broiler strains, as
genetic selection has produced birds with larger breasts.
(iii) Respiratory system:
The respiratory system of poultry consists of nasal cavities, larynx, trachea, syrinx, bronchi,
lungs, air sacs and air containing bones. Lungs of the poultry are small compared with those
of mammals. They expand or contract only slightly and there is no true diaphragm. The lungs
are supported by nine air sacs and a group of hollow, air containing bones. There are two
pairs of thoracic and two pairs of abdominal air sacs and a single inter-clavicular air sac.
While air freely moves in and out of the air sacs, only the lungs are responsible for the
exchanging of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurring during respiration. Both the lungs and air
sacs function as cooling mechanism as moisture evaporates from their surfaces and is exhaled
as water vapour. The respiratory rate is governed by the carbon dioxide content of the blood;
increased levels increase the rate, which ranges between 15 and 25 cycles per minute in the
resting bird.
(iv) Urinary system:
The urinary system consists of two kidneys that are located just behind the lungs. A single
ureter connects each kidney with the cloaca. The urine of chickens is mainly uric acid, the
end product of protein metabolism, which is mixed with the faeces in the cloaca and
evacuated in the droppings as white pasty material.
(v) Circulatory system:
The purpose of the circulatory system is to carry oxygen (O2) from the lungs and nutrients
that have passed through the intestinal walls in the cells. The venous system carries carbon
dioxide (CO2) back to the lungs and waste products from metabolism back to the kidneys for
excretion from the body. The heart of the chicken has four chambers, two atria and two
ventricles. It beats at a comparatively rapid rate of about 300 pulsations per minute. The
smaller the bird, more rapid is the contraction. The main component of circulatory system is
blood and lymph. Blood constitutes about 12 % of the weight of a newly hatched chick, and
about 6 to 8 % of the mature chicken.
(vi) Nervous system:
The nervous system of the chicken consists of the brain, spinal cord, sympathetic nerves
controlling the viscera, and branches leading to the eyes and ears. The brain and spinal cord
are quite similar in structure to those in mammals. A condition known as “Limber neck” in
chicken is due to a paralysis of the nerves, and a common disease known as “fowl paralysis”
or “neurolymphomatosis” is often associated with thickening of the sciatic nerve.
(vii) Digestive System:
A bird cannot be classified as a simple stomach animal, and yet its digestive system is
somewhat similar. The organs related to digestion in poultry are described as under:
i) Mouth: The digestive system starts with a part visible from outside namely beak by which
feed is picked up. The teeth and lips are absent in mouth. These parts are replaced by a horny
mandible on each jaw, forming the beak. The tongue is shaped like the barbed head of an
arrow. Saliva, with its enzyme amylase which is used to convert starches to sugar during
digestion, is secreted by the glands in the mouth. Another function of saliva is as a lubricant
to help with the transport of food particles.
ii) Oesophagus: It is characterized by enormous expansibility. Food passes from the mouth
through the Oesophagus to the crop and onwards
iii) Crop: The crop is an enlargement of the Oesophagus and is used for storing and softening
the food. Little or no digestion takes place here except for that involved with the salivary
secretion of the mouth, which continues its activity in the crop.
iv) Proventriculus: The Oesophagus ends in a small dumbbell shaped organ called
Proventriculus, which has ample glands. It is here that gastric juices are produced and
secreted. Pepsin, an enzyme needed for the digestion of protein, and hydrochloric acid are
secreted by the glandular cell. Because the food passes quickly through the Proventriculus,
there is little digestion of food material here, but the secretions pass into the gizzard where
the enzymatic action occurs.
v) Gizzard: The Oesophagus is connected with a bulged dish type structured organ called
gizzard. It has strong muscle and functions chiefly in crushing and grinding of food. The
gizzard, sometimes is called as ‘muscular stomach’. The gizzard is inactive when empty, but
once food enters, the muscular contractions of its thick walls begin. The larger the particles of
food, the more rapid the contraction
vi) Small Intestine: The small intestine is comprised of two major sections, the duodenal
loop and the ileum. Within the duodenal loop lies the pancreas that secretes pancreatic juices
containing the enzymes amylase, lipase and trypsin. Other enzymes are produced by the walls
of the small intestine, further aiding with the digestion of protein and sugars. The small
intestine is the primary site of nutrient absorption.
vii) Caeca: Between the small and large intestine lie two blind pouches known as caeca. The
exact function of the Caeca is not well defined, but it has been concluded that they have little
to do with digestion and only minor functions associated with water absorption. A small
amount of carbohydrate and protein digestion and the microbial fermentation of dietary fibre
also take place in the Caeca.

Digestive System of fowl

viii) Large intestine: The large intestine is a relatively short extension of the small intestine
in the chicken. It is about twice the diameter of the small intestine. It extends from the end of
the small intestine to the cloaca. The large intestine is involved in water resorption, and in
doing so assists with maintaining the water balance in the bird.
ix) Cloaca: The bulbous area at the end of the alimentary tract (from the mouth to the vent) is
known as the cloaca. Cloaca means “common sewer”, and in the case of the chicken, the
digestive, urinary and reproductive tracts all empty into the cloaca.
x) Vent: The vent (anus) is the external opening of the cloaca. Its size varies greatly in the
female depending on whether or not she is producing egg.
xi) Pancreas: The pancreas lies within the duodenal loop of the small intestine. It is a gland
that secrets enzymes into the duodenum by way of the pancreatic ducts. These enzymes help
in the digestion of starches, fats and protein. These enzymes, also known as pancreatic juices,
neutralize the acid condition created in the Proventriculus.
xii) Liver: This is a large, several lobed, dark red organ. It is the largest gland in the body.
The liver secretes bile. Bile is stored in the gall bladder and helps in the digestion of fat.
xiii) Gall bladder: While the chicken has a gallbladder, some bird’s do not. The two bile
ducts are used to transfer bile from the liver to the intestine. The right duct, through which
most of the bile passes and is temporarily stored is enlarged forming the gall bladder. The left
duct is smaller, therefore only a small amount of bile passes through it directly into the
intestine.
(ix) Reproductive System
The reproductive system of male and female birds varies significantly which are discussed
below:
a) Male Reproductive System
The male chicken has two testes and two vas deferentia. The testes are bean shaped and
yellowish white in colour. The testes are located in front of and near the kidneys about
midway of the vertebral column. The sperm cells are formed in the testes. The spermatozoan
is a long, slender, motile cell with a head, a neck and a tail. The testes are normally retained
in abdomen unlike of the mammals.
Each testes give rise to a coiled duct called vas deference which starts from epididymis and
ends in cloaca in the form of papilla, which is rudimentary copulatory organ in birds. The
spermatozoa pass through epididymis to vas deference and then to cloaca and stored at distal
ends of vas deference. The testes also produce a hormone which influences the sex
characters.
b) Female Reproductive System:
The female reproductive system consists of the following parts:
i) Ovary: At the time of hatching, a female chick has two ovaries, two oviducts. But, towards
sexual maturity, only the left one develops and became functional in the hen. The right ovary
and oviduct degenerate and remain rudimentary (less developed). The hen’s ovary is
composed of 900-3600 ova (egg) or yolks in various stages of development.
ii) Oviduct: The oviduct is a long tube through which the yolk passes and where the
remaining portions of the egg are secreted. The segments of the oviduct and their purpose are
summarized below:
a) Infundibulum: The funnel shaped upper portion of the oviduct is the
Infundibulum. Normally inactive except immediately after ovulation, its purpose is
to search out and engulf the yolk causing it to enter the oviduct. After ovulation, the
yolk drops into the ovarian pocket or the body cavity, from which it is picked up by
the Infundibulum. The yolk remains in this section for only a short period of about
15 minutes, and then is forced along the oviduct by multiple contraction. If the
Infundibulum fails to engulf the yolk, then it falls into the abdominal cavity, where
it is usually reabsorbed. Such birds are referred to as ‘internal layers’. The
Infundibulum has no egg forming function.
b) Magnum: Next portion of the oviduct is magnum. This portion is the albumen
secreting portion and is highly vascular. The yolk is tumbled in the magnum for
uniform deposition of white (albumen) material. The duration of stay is 3 hours.
Most of the proteins are secreted here.
c) Isthmus: The incomplete egg moves to a narrow, comparatively less vascular
portion of the oviduct-called isthmus. The duration of stay here is 1½ hours. Here,
the inner and outer shell membranes are formed in such a manner as to represent
the final shape of the egg.
d) Uterus (Shell gland): Uterus, the next part of the oviduct, is highly vascular. It is
also referred to as shell gland since the shell is secreted here. The incomplete egg
stays here for the longest duration of 16 to 18 hours. At the junction of isthmus and
uterus, two chords like structure appear on either side of the yolk and they are
called chalazae. The cuticle is laid down on the outside of the shell in the uterus. It
also acts as a lubricant, while egg is being laid. The colour of the shell is due to
ooporphyrin and is deposited 30 minutes before the laying of egg.
e) Vagina: The last part of the oviduct is vagina. The vagina has no role in egg
formation and only serves to expel the egg once it leaves the shell gland.

Reproductive system of a hen

SUMMARY
• The poultry’s body is covered with a combination of skin, feathers and localized
scales.
• The most important internal structures are skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory,
nervous, digestive, urinary/excretory, male and female reproductive systems.

WEB RESOURCES
http://www.elearnvet.net/moodle/course/view.php?id=32 (Sl. No. 22, Exercise 3)
http://www.sugunainstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dbbm-102.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1iJcPVuFfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo1R0Oau4Vk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRoTkmv5vNs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMmyVu1ueY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ZM7ZJBRh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmAsFQUEFl4
http://www.poultryhub.org/physiology/body-systems/
http://kenanaonline.com/files/0073/73747/CHICKEN%20ANATOMY%20AND%20PHYSI
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https://www.slideshare.net/vicky14381/reproductive-system-of-hen