Did you know that chickens have a vent and a comb? Since this is my first year with poultry, I was surprised to find out how much I didn't know about the parts of a chicken! My name is Jacob Nagel and I am 10 years old. I am a member of 4-H and my 4-H projects this year are Poultry and Computers. Today, the subject of my demonstration is how to identify

Jacob Nagel and his chickens: A Buff Orpington named Emily, a Speckled Sussex, and the rooster he used as the model for his poster.

parts of a chicken (specifically, parts of a rooster). I selected this topic because I love chickens and I love computers and I got to use both for this demonstration. I made this poster from a picture of my rooster using the computer program GIMP that is a freeware program you can download at gimp.org. My big, beautiful rooster is an Ameraucana mix that we hatched two years ago from 4-H Embryology Project eggs.

It is important to know the parts of your bird so that you can talk to other chicken breeders or raisers about birds. If you have any problems, it is important to be able to know the parts to talk to the veterinarian. Also, it is important to know the parts of a chicken so you can compare your chicken to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection.

First, all chickens usually have a comb with points (unless the comb has been dubbed—which means part was removed by cutting) on the top of the head. The beak is hard and pointed and used for eating and pecking. Just like us, chickens have eyes, ears, and earlobes. The wattles are red and fleshy and are larger on roosters. The website, www.animalcorner.co.uk, reports that these wattles are used for cooling! The front area of a chicken is the breast. The hackle feathers on a rooster are these beautiful thin neck feathers. Roosters (not hens) also have long, curved sickle feathers in their tail. Draping over the back and down the sides are saddle feathers. The wing has long primary feathers and shorter secondary feathers used for flight. Also, I don't have it labeled, but these short, fluffy feathers are called "fluff." The upper leg is the thigh which is joined by the hock to the lower part, called the shank. The hock corresponds to the heel of a person. Roosters have one spur on each shank. Most chickens have four toes (three in front and one in back) with claws at the ends. A type of chicken called Silkies actually have a fifth toe.

These are the parts of a rooster from the comb and tail to the toes. If you are still wondering where the "vent" is—it is at the back, below the tail, on the underside of the bird where feces and urine are excreted and eggs are laid by hens!