LPM 221: Commercial Poultry Production and Hatchery Management (1+1)

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF CHICKEN

Mouth

• In chicken the lips, cheeks and teeth are absent, and instead beak is present.
• Chicken has taste buds. About 12 taste buds are present in young chicken but their number doubles at the age of 12 weeks.
• Chicken, duck, goose and turkey have no soft palate but pigeon has soft palate.
• Salivary glands in chicken are spread over whole of the mouth and pharynx in about 8 groups.  

Oesophagus and Crop

• The oesophagus in chicken is relatively longer than in mammals.
• It has a diverticulum or crop at its point of entry into the thoracic cavity.
• Crop acts as a reservoir for storage of feed. In pigeon, the crop is bi-lobed and has milk glands which secretes a cream coloured curdy crop milk (Pigeon milk).