Central Luzon State University

College of Agriculture
Department of Animal Science

Instructional Module for the Course

Animal Science 1100 Laboratory- Introduction to Animal Science

Module 2:EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF FARM ANIMALS AND BODY

MEASUREMENTS OF FARM ANIMALS

Overview

Anatomy is the science that deals with the structure of the

organisms. On the other hand, physiology is the study of the integrated

functions of the body and the functions of all of its parts. The animal

body is subdivided into external and internal anatomy. The former

describes the outer structure of the body while the latter deals with the

internal organs and systems of the body. Knowledge in external

anatomy of animals is valuable to identify their physical characteristics

and attributes for selection and to know the physical conditions of the

animals in disease determination.

Objectives
At the end of the exercise, students are expected to:
1. Identify the different external parts of poultry and livestock species;
2. Explain the importance of external anatomy of farm animals relative to
the study of animal science; and
3. Estimate an animal’s bodyweight using certain body measurements.
Learning Activities

External anatomy of chicken

Credit: Illustration by Kathryn Born

To be able to work with chickens, a breeder must know the various parts of a
chicken and their functions, and know the difference between male and female
chickens.

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 THE MAJOR EXTERNAL PARTS OF A CHICKEN:

The chicken’s beak serves three functions. First, it is the chicken’s

mouth. Second, it is used for fighting and protection. And third, it
Beak
functions as the teeth of the chicken, enabling the bird to break grass,
fruit and other foods into pieces small enough to swallow.
It is believed that the comb and wattles of chickens serve to cool their
Comb and wattles
blood.
Ear lobes The ear lobes of chickens serve hearing and other ear functions.
The eyeball of a chicken is stationary; thus, a chicken must move its
Eyes
head to vary the range of vision.
Feathers Feathers provide insulation and buffer extremes of heat and cold.
Chickens cannot fly very well. They can flap their wings sufficiently to
Wings
raise themselves about three meters (3m) off the ground.
Tail and tail The tail is used for balance while walking and, in flying, as a rudder for
feathers up – and – down and side – to – side motion.
In addition to walking, feet and claws are used in fighting (for
Feet and nails
protection) and in finding food.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE CHICKENS THAT SHOULD

HELP IN IDENTIFICATION:

The male will grow taller and usually weighs between 0.5 kg and 1 kg
more than females of the same age upon reaching maturity. A male of
one breed may weigh less than the female of another breed. This
Size
greater size is not apparent until the chicken attains four weeks of age.
At one day old there is no difference at all between male and female
chicks.
The comb and wattles of the male will become much larger than the
Comb and spurs comb and wattles of a female. On the female, spurs hardly develop at all
when compared to the male.
Everyone knows that a rooster crows while a hen doesn’t. What is not
Vocal expressions generally known is that rooster’s crow intermittently all day long, not just
in the morning.
Adult males have distinguishably different feathers from those of adult
females. The most distinguishable are the tail feathers which are long
and stringy on the male. Hackle and neck feathers of males have
Feathers
pointed ends, whereas those of females have rounder ends. In addition,
males have sickle feathers in their tails and hackle feathers on their
backs which and females do not have.

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 External anatomy of swine

http://www.geauga4h.org/swine/swine_body.html

THE MAJOR EXTERNAL PARTS OF A PIG:

The neck is located just behind the ears and in front of the shoulder.
Neck The neck is the proper location to give most injections to pigs. This
portion of the body is usually discarded during harvest.
The ears are located just above the eyes and in front of the neck.
The pigs ears can vary in shape and size. They are used
Ears
predominately for identification purposes through the use of ear
notches.
The eyes are located on the face and below the ears. The pig
Eyes
usually sees in shades of black and white.
The snout (also called the nose) of the pig is located by the mouth.
The snout is used by the pig to move, turn, and lift objects; as well
Snout-
as to assist in eating and smelling. The size and length of the snout
varies from breed to breed.
The jowl is located underneath the snout and is sometimes referred
Jowl
to as the pigs chin. A trimmer or cleaner jowl on the pig is more

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 desirable, while a larger jowl is less desirable.

The elbow pocket is located above the fore arm and behind the
Elbow shoulder. It is the elbow of the front leg and serves as a depot for fat
Pocket storage. Over conditioned or fatter pigs will have a more defined
elbow pocket.
The fore arm is located above the knee and is the thickest part of
Fore Arm
the front leg before entering the chest.
Fore Flank The fore flank or fore rib is located the front portion of the ribs. This
or Fore portion of the chest cavity should be one of the widest parts of the
Rib pig’s chest. The pig’s heart and lungs are located under the fore rib.
located just behind the shoulders and elbow pocket. The ribs need
to be boldly sprung when you are judging pigs. The belly is the
Belly and
location where bacon comes from on the pig. Both the belly and the
Ribs
ribs play and important role in gilts during pregnancy. A gilt must
have ample capacity in order to carry large litters of pigs.
The knee is located just above the dewclaws and just below the
Knee elbow pocket. A pig needs to have ample flexibility to their knee in
order to maintain structural soundness.
The underline is the collection of teats where a litter of pigs will
nurse their mother. Underline quality can vary from breed to breed
Underline and pig to pig. Underlines should be evaluated on breeding stock.
The ideal underline is free of uneven spacing, nonfunctional teats,
and has plenty of teats to nurse.
The dewclaws are the smaller appendages on the back of the pig’s
legs, located above the hooves. The pig should not be walking down
Dewclaws
on its dewclaws. Certain breeds are ineligible for registration if they
possess extra dewclaws.
The pasterns are located just below the dewclaws and above the
pig’s hooves. The pasterns should be strong and the pig should
Pasterns
walk on its toes. Pigs that have poor structure might walk down on
their pastern, which allows their dewclaws to touch the ground.
The hocks are located on the rear legs and are located just below
the stifle muscle. A proper angle is needed from stifle muscle to the
Hock hock, and then to the ground in order for the pig to have structural
correctness. Slatted flooring or cement can cause the hocks on a
pig to swell.
The rear flank is located past the ribs and in front of the stifle
muscle. When evaluating a pig for balance, the rib and rear flank
Rear
should be level with each other. Pigs that possess shallow flanked
Flank
usually exhibit less capacity and are less desirable as replacement
gilts.
The stifle muscle is the muscle used to move the pigs rear legs. Its
Stifle placement is determined by the pigs rump structure. This muscle
Muscle must be positioned correctly for proper movement. When the stifle
muscle is placed farther up on the leg, the pig will take shorter

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 strides off their rear legs.

The ham is the cut of meat located on below the tail and above the
hocks. The overall size of the ham can be evaluated during judging
Ham
and varies breeds. A bigger, fuller ham usually means the pig will
track wider when viewed from behind.
The size and placement of the tail can vary from breed to breed and
Tail pig to pig. Tail docking is used in confinement operations to reduce
tail biting.
The rump is a general term used to describe the region of the pig’s
body that lies behind the hip bones. The rump includes the hip
Rump bones, tail, and portions of the ham. The slope of the rump is
determined by the tail setting. The slope of the pig’s rump will
determine how well it can move off its rear legs.
The ham loin junction is the place where the ham and loin come
Ham Loin
together. This junction can be very descript or less prominent
Junction
depending on the amount of fat and muscle.
The loin muscle is located along the pigs back, on each side of its
Loin spine. The loin is located in front of the rump and behind the rib
cage.
The shoulder is located behind the neck and in front of the ribs. The
Shoulder angle of the shoulder helps determine structural correctness and
soundness.
This is the bone located between the shoulder blades of the pig.
Chine This bone is an extension of the neck bone. In older or stale appear
Bone pigs the chine bone stands up above the shoulder blades. The chine
bone is a good indicator of the age of a pig.

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 EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF A COW

https://www.anatomynote.com/animal-anatomy/mammals/cattle/bovine-external-anatomy/

THE MAJOR EXTERNAL PARTS OF A COW:

The ears must be well formed and round with good

Ears pigmentation to prevent sunburn
The horns are usually undesirable since most animals can
cause harm to themselves and also to each other, especially
Horns: when the animals are being handled.
Big, twinkling eyes are a sign of good breeding along with
Eyes prominent eyebrows to protect the eyes.
The edge of the nose must be darkly pigmented to protect the
animal from sunburn and the nostrils must be large for good
Nose breathing. The nose of a healthy cow is always damp.
A large wide mouth is necessary to ensure that the animal is
able to eat well. Take note that the animals top jaw bites
straight down onto the bottom jaw as this can be a common
Mouth deformity in cattle and this prevents them from being able to

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 eat properly.

The neck is correctly connected to the head, the body and to

the shoulders. In dairy cattle breeders strive to ensure well-
formed necks that will enhance femininity instead of muscle
definition. Dairy cattle must not have loose skin around their
Neck throat area.
In dairy cattle there is no prominent hump and only bulls have
Hump a slight visible hump.
A diary cow’s shoulders are lean and sometimes gaunt but not
pinched and must connect elegantly to the shoulder blade and
Shoulders neck.
The back of any species of cattle must be long and straight
Back and must widen in the direction of the loin
This is the area that must carry most of the animal’s weight
The Loin and must be strong and wide.
The chine is very important as it enhances the fertility of the
cow. The slope of the chine is important and must drop slightly
in the direction of the tail. If the chine is flat or hangs over too
The Chine much it should be discriminated against.
The tail must be well connected or well positioned to join the
back. A cow with a ‘baboon shaped tail’ it is unsightly and it
Tail obstructs the mating process.
Dairy cattle must have strong hips but without a muscular
occurrence, especially at the back of the cow between the legs
because the udders are situated in this area. Cows with big
udders cannot move easily since the space between the legs is
limited and her movement can be worsened when she is too
Hips and thighs muscular in that area.
Strong slim legs are a good attribute for dairy cows to have.
Back legs must be straight, well-formed downwards towards
the hooves. The hooves must not turn inwards (pigeon toed) or
turn outwards like a duck. Seen from the side, the pasterns
(the connection between the hoof and the leg) must not have a
straight appearance but must not hang over too much as both
Legs and ankles deformities will affect her stride.
When selecting a cow, the shape of the udder must be
carefully judged whilst looking at the build of the cow. The ideal
udder is smooth, uniformly structured and the four teats must
be easily distinguished. The udder must have strong medial
and lateral ligaments to prevent sagging. The back part of the
udder must be smoothly and levelly joined and must be wide
between the legs. The front part of the udder must be
positioned behind the belly where it joins smoothly to the belly.
The Udder The teats must be well formed, uniformly seized and levelly

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 positioned, as they must fit securely into the teat socket of a
milking machine.

The belly must be long, deep and the ribs must be well sprung
to ensure space for good digestion. The more a cow can eat
The Belly the better the production.
Shoulder blades must not protrude (stick out) in dairy cows
Shoulder blade and must be evenly joined to the chest and belly. Front legs
and front legs must be strong and lean so that weight can be evenly placed.
The chest must be well formed to allow enough space for the
lungs. A small chest is undesirable. The chest must be wide
Chest and well-shaped.

EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF A GOAT

*Note: Cow and goat almost have the same anatomical terms

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Estimate an animal’s bodyweight using certain body measurements

If you do not have access to a scale, there are less accurate methods of
estimating weight, such as using a weight tape or using two body measurements
(body length and heart girth) and then applying a formula. When measuring your
animal, you need to determine the heart girth and body length in inches. The
heart girth is the pig’s circumference just behind the elbow. The body length
should be the distance from the top of the head between the ears to the tail head.
Then use
the

following formula:

Note: Measurements are in “inches”

https://extension.wsu.edu/animalag/content/monitoring-your-show-pigs-progress/

Assessment

1. Explain why is it important to know the external parts of a farm animal in

relation to production?

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Problem Solving

A. Calculate the estimated body weight of a pig, given the heart girth of 35 inches
and a body length of 41 inches.

B. Based on your answer on Problem A, what will be the difference if the actual
weight of the pig is 56.43 kg?

References:
https://www.poultryclubsa.co.za/anatomy-of-chickens/

Department of Agriculture, republic of South Africa. Learner Guide. Anatomy and

Physiology

Washington State University, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural

Sciences. Retrieved from https://extension.wsu.edu/animalag/content/monitoring-
your-show-pigs-progress/

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