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Structure of a Chicken

A chicken has the basic structure of any other bird. Its body is short and strong with the internal organs protected by a pelvis that's carried beneath the leg and tail and a breastbone, which is broad and keeled to carry the wing muscles. The wishbone is just above the breastbone. The tail is a series of bones that carry the weight of the adjustable tail feathers. As it has no appendages to grasp its food, the chicken's bill has been adapted to picking up its food.

The Head
- The chicken has a small head, with eyes, ears, earlobes, and a beak to allow it to pick up seeds, insects and other food from the ground. The beak is made of bone and covered in keratin. The chicken has wattles, which are fleshy parts beneath the bill and a comb. The comb can come in eight varieties: rose, strawberry, silkis, (a round lumpy comb wider than it's long with small corrugations on top), single, cushion, buttercup, pea and V-shaped. The rooster's comb is larger than the hen's. The wattles and comb help keep the bird cool by shunting blood flow to the skin.
The Body
- The chicken has a sturdy back, and as chickens are raised for their meat, the breast is plump, as are the thighs. The legs are naked and scaly and form the hock where the leg meets the thigh. The shank is the part of the leg between the claw and the first joint and the spur is a sharp protrusion on the shank. The chicken's legs are strong and muscular where they meet the body. The feet end in toes with claws. The wings may be just strong enough to help the chicken fly a short distance, but if the bird is too large and fat, it won't be able to fly at all.
The Tail
- The tail-feathers can be somewhat stiff; the rooster generally has a main sickle, or long showy curved tail feathers, lesser sickle and sometimes showy saddle feathers. Often these feathers have a metallic sheen. Some roosters, like the Japanese Phoenix, have very long tails which are at least partially molted every year.
Feathers
- The body feathers around the thighs are downy, and the saddle feathers are smooth. The hen has narrow feathers between her neck and her back called a cape. The cape on the rooster's neck are called hackles. The chicken's contour feathers are small and cover most of their bodies, while the wing feathers can be long and stiff. The down or fluff around the thighs provides extra warmth. Fluff is pronounced on the hens as it's a way she keeps her eggs and chicks warm. The colors and patterns of chicken plumage can vary significantly.

Animals & Science