musculoskeletal systems
the hard truth: chickens are delicious
Chickens are food animals; their flesh and bones are very commonly used to satisfy humans' basic needs of hunger and nutrition. As pictured below, chicken meat is available, accessible, affordable, and a tasty food source. Chicken meat typically comes in the options of wings or thighs or breasts; and all of those have one thing in common: they are comprised of muscle tissues.
Figure 22. Wingstop 70 Cent Boneless Wings Special. Wingstop Restaurants Inc, 2021. Retrieved on November 16, 2021 from https://www.wingstop.com/menu/specials/70-cent-boneless-wings
Muscle tissues develop as a chicken grows, offering the chicken abilities to move and regulate body functions. They provide the chicken with structure and ample protection. Muscles are made up of fibers that require energy in order to contract, and contraction can occur voluntarily or involuntarily. Cardiac muscles in the heart and smooth muscles in visceral organs undergo involuntary contraction. Skeletal muscles attached to bones undergo voluntary contraction.
A 1992 study at Kyushu University in Japan focused on the relationship between muscle growth and fiber growth. In this study, chickens ages 1 to 35 weeks old were observed. The researchers identified three types muscle fibers and observed four different muscles (Ono et al, 1992).
The results of the study indicated that muscle growth was impacted by the elongation and enlargement of the muscle fibers. Elongation referred to the length of the muscle fibers and enlargement referred to the width or diameter of the muscle fibers. The researchers also mentioned that elongation ceased when the chickens were approximately 15 weeks old, but enlargement continued to occur until the chickens were 35 weeks old (Ono et al, 1992).
Figure 23. Biology Of The Chicken Part Five: The Muscular System. Backyard Poultry, 2021. Retrieved on November 16, 2021 from https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/chickens-101/the-muscular-system/
fun fact: chickens have wishbones, similar to turkeys!
Figure 24. Types Of Bone. The Chicken: A Natural History. Barber et al, 2017. Retrieved on November 16, 2021 from https://www-jstor-org.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/stable/j.ctv3dnq3j.5?refreqid=excelsior%3A4433c1dfcaafadd108590a381d9e1c23&seq=3#metadata_info_tab_contents
As previously mentioned, muscles protect the bones underneath. A chicken's skeleton consists of 120 bones (Reference, 2020). The bones are strong enough to support the chicken's body weight, but light enough to still allow the chicken to fly.
See "Flight Abilities" for more information about how chickens fly.
Chickens have three main types of bones. The cortical bones, which provide strength and structural support. The pneumatic bones, which contain cavities and air sacs. Lastly, there are the medullary bones, which provide calcium for egg production (Barber et al, 2017).
Although chicken bones are commonly used to make chicken stock, they are also just discarded as waste products. Relatively new research shows that chicken bones can serve a greater purpose: as an alternative source of Hydroxyapatite (Rajesh et al, 2012). It was found that Hydroxyapatite could be extracted from chicken bone waste in a process known as thermal calcination (Rajesh et al, 2012). According to Science Direct, Hydroxyapatite is used in the repair and regeneration of bone, in orthopedic or dental implants (Legeros, 2008). By utilizing the chicken bones as a natural and sustainable source of Hydroxyapatite, the enrivonmental pollution from chicken bones as waste products can be reduced (Rajesh et al, 2012).
even more about chicken muscles & bones
my personal favorite place to get fried chicken, the soy garlic is the best!
