Applied Chicken Anatomy

Chickens are precocial at hatch, easily handled, maintain a small size and docile nature, and can be raised under various housing conditions. Unhealthy chickens can demonstrate abnormal posture. On physical examination, the body should be fully feathered with symmetric, clean feathers. Non-feathered skin should be examined for lacerations and scabs. Eyes and nares should be free of fluid, dirt, or exudate. The thorax can be palpated for fractures, rickets, or cutaneous breast blisters. The cloaca should be free of exudate, blood, and pasted feces. Legs and feet can be subject to bumblefoot, scaly leg mite, and frostbite under conditions of mismanagement. Various methods are used to label individual birds. Additionally, chickens can be easily handled for acquiring swab samples from the oropharynx, trachea, and cloaca, and blood can be collected from the brachial, medial metatarsal, and right jugular veins. All these factors make chickens outstanding candidates for research studies.