Avian Digestive System

Dr. Sachin Tripura

B.V.Sc & AH, M.V.Sc, Ph.D (ICAR-NDRI)
Assistant Professor cum Junior Scientist
Department of I.L.F.C (Animal Nutrition), RVC, BAU
Introduction

Chickens are Omnivores

▪ An omnivore is a kind of animal that eats
either other animals or plants
▪ Meaning that, in addition to commercial
feed, they can eat meat (grubs, worms)
and vegetation (grass, weeds and other
plants)
The Digestive System

The digestive system is responsible for the break down of

complex non absorbable components like;
1. Carbohydrate
2. Protein
3. Fats
into relatively simplest and absorbable units like;
1. Glucose
2. Amino acid
3. Fatty acids
 Digestion

▪ Digestion is completed by the

action of various enzymes
secreted by different organs and
accessory gland of the digestive
system
Digestive System
Organs Accessory Glands
1. Mouth 1. Salivary glands
2. Pharynx 2. Liver/biliary system
3. Esophagus/gullet 3. Pancreas
4. Crop
5. Proventriculus
6. Gizzard
7. Small intestine
8. Caeca
9. Large intestine
10. Cloaca
11. Vent
 Organs and Functions
The Mouth
Mouth:
It all starts here
A small bit of saliva and digestive enzymes are added as
the food moves from the mouth into the esophagus

The digestive tract is lined with a continuous

mucous membrane from the mouth to the vent.
This provides protection from abrasion by the
food as it passes through and prevents the entry
of microorganisms
Organs and Functions
The Mouth

Mouth (beak) is made up of:

1. Upper mandible
– attached with skull
– non-movable part of beak
2. Lower mandible
– It is the movable part of beak

➢ The chicken does not have teeth to

chew its feed
Cont. …

➢ The roof of mouth is made up of hard

palate that is divided by a long narrow
slit in the center that is opened to the
nasal passage
➢ The soft palate is absent in chicken
Cont. …

➢ The slit in the hard palate and the absence

of soft palate make it impossible for the
birds to create a vacuum to draw the water
or feed into the mouth

➢ Thus, birds have to scoop up the water

when drinking, elevates its head, and then
let the water run down the gullet by the
action of gravity
Cont. …

➢ The base of mouth is made up of tongue and it has rough

surface at the beak to help force the feed into esophagus or
gullet

➢ The mouth is also very sensitive to temperature differences

➢ The base of the tongue has papilla, which contains very few
numbers of taste buds
➢ The taste buds help to taste the feed
Organs and Functions
The Pharynx

Pharynx is a common passageway for feed and air, it is divided

into two parts:
1. Esophagus
2. Larynx
 Organs and Functions
The Esophagus

Esophagus:
Transports food from the mouth to the stomach
Organs and Functions
The Esophagus

Description
Esophagus is a tube like structure that extends from mouth to
Proventriculus

Functions
1. It helps carry feed from the mouth towards Proventriculus
2. Secrets mucous for lubrication
Organs and Functions
The Crop

Crop:
A pouch in the esophagus used to store food
temporarily before moving it on to the stomach

Feed can remain for up to 12 hours

Cont. …

Description
➢ Crop is the extension of esophagus
located in the neck region
➢ Cropectomy has no effect on
growth rate of ad-libitum fed
chickens
Cont. …

Functions:
1. Storage of feed, so, when the proventriculus or gizzard is
empty the feed by pass the crop
2. Little digestion takes place with the action of salivary
amylase
1) Amylase activity at this site comes from either salivary
secretions, intestinal reflux, or plant and/or bacterial
sources
2) Starch is hydrolyzed within the crop where it can either be
absorbed, converted to alcohol, lactic or other acids
Cont…
⚫In pigeons and doves, "crop-milk" is produced during
the breeding season under the influence of prolactin
⚫Crop milk contains 12.4 % protein, 8.6% lipids, 1.37%
ash, and 74% water
⚫Rich in protein and essential fatty acids and is devoid
of carbohydrates and calcium
Organs and Functions
Proventriculus

Stomach:
Principally the organ where food is broken
into smaller units. It has two parts:
1. Proventriculus
For storage
2. Gizzard
Is a muscular part of the stomach that
uses grit to grind grains and fiber into
smaller particles
Digestive enzymes are added to the mix and
physical grinding of the food occurs
Cont. …

Proventriculus:
Description
➢ Also called glandular stomach or true stomach
➢ It is a specialized enlargement of the gullet just before entry
into the gizzard
Cont. …

Functions:
➢ Production of gastric juice;
– Gastric juice is made up of the proenzyme known as
pepsinogen and hydrochloric acid, both are produced by
oxyntico-peptic cells
– Gastric juice produced in response to protein content in
diet
– Acid secretion of chickens is high relative to mammals
– Amylolysis occurs in the crop, it is not evident in the
ventriculus
Organs and Functions
Gizzard

Description
➢ Also called muscular stomach or ventriculus
➢ It is made up of two pairs of powerful muscles capable of
crushing and grinding the feed particle, which act as the bird’s
teeth.
➢ (The tunica muscularis of gizzard is made up of two layers of
smooth muscles, inner circular & outer longitudinal)
Cont. …

Functions
1. It performs powerful muscular contraction, which ultimately
leads to crushing and grinding of feed particles
2. Feed is crushed in the gizzard with the help of insoluble grit
by rhythmic contractions
3. This process is aided by the presence of grit or rocks present
in the gizzard
4. The gizzard performs 2-5 contractions per minute according
to the consistency of the feed particle
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine
Small Intestine:
➢ Aids in digestion and nutrient absorption.
➢ Composed of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum
Cont. …

➢ Small intestine is 1.5 meters long in the adult bird

➢ It has three parts;
1. Duodenum
2. Jejunum
3. Ileum
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine - Duodenum

Description
Duodenum makes the loop known as
duodenal loop which contain the
pancreas
Cont. …

Function
➢ Digestion of carbohydrates, protein, and fat take place in the
small intestine with the help of intestinal juice, pancreatic
juice, and secretion of liver known as bile
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine – Jejunum & Ileum

➢ The jejunum and the ileum,

together about 120 cm long
➢ Starts at the caudal end of the
duodenum where the bile and the
pancreatic duct papilla are located
➢ Ends at the ileo-caecal-colic
junction (This junction is where
the small intestine, the two caeca
and the colon all meet)
Cont. …

➢ This portion of the small intestine is similar in structure to the

duodenum except that:
1. It is suspended in the mesentery
2. Villi are shorter
3. There is less lymphoid tissue
Cont. …

➢ Meckel’s Diverticulum is a constant feature

about half way along the small intestine and
appears as a small projection on the outer
surface of the small intestine
➢ This projection is where the yolk sac was
attached during the development of the
embryo
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine - Intestinal Juice

Intestinal juice contains variety of enzymes such as:

1. Amylase, carbohydrates digestion.
2. Invertase, carbohydrates digestion.
3. Trypsin, proteins digestion.
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine - Pancreatic Juice

Similarly, pancreatic juice contain variety of enzymes that do

take part in digestion of carbohydrates, protein and fat
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine - Bile

➢ The bile produced from the liver is responsible for

emulsification of fat which is then digested by variety
enzymes
Organs and Functions
Small Intestine - Absorption

➢ After completion of digestion, the end product of

carbohydrate (glucose), protein (amino acid), fats (fatty acid)
are absorbed by the finger like projections of small intestine
known as villi
➢ The amino acid, fatty acids and glycerol are absorbed into the
lymphatic vessels
➢ These end products ultimately reach the liver via the portal
vein
Organs and Functions
Ceca

Ceca:
Bacterial action in the ceca helps break
down undigested food passing through the
intestine.
blind sack along the lower intestinal tract, where
bacteria help break down undigested food
Cont. …

Description
➢ These are two blind pouches located between the small
intestine and large intestine having a length of 1.5 cm
➢ The ceca empty their contents two or three times a day
➢ They produce pasty droppings that often smell worse than
regular droppings and often mustard to dark brown in color
➢ The frequency of cecal droppings, as well as their appearance
among regular droppings, tells you the chicken’s digestive
tract is functionally normally
Cont. …
Function
The function of Caeca is not clear
1. It is thought that it takes part in digestion of carbohydrate,
proteins, and crude fiber with the help of bacterial action
2. Re-absorption of water takes place in the ceca
3. Fermentation of coarse materials and production of the eight
B vitamins (Thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid,
pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid and vitamin B12) also occur in
the ceca
➢ Because the ceca are located near the end of the digestive
tract there is minimal absorption of any nutrients released
Organs and Functions
Large Intestine

Large Intestine:
Functions primarily to absorb water, dry out
indigestible foods and eliminate waste
products
absorbs water and dries out indigestible foods
Cont. …

Description
➢ Large intestine is much shorter when compared to small
intestine and caecum
➢ The length of large intestine is 10 cm
➢ The diameter is twice the diameter of small intestine
➢ It extends from small intestine to cloaca

Function
➢ It helps to maintain water balance by water absorption
Organs and Functions
Cloaca and Vent

Cloaca:
Where the digestive, urinary and
reproductive systems meet.
Vent:
The external opening of the cloaca
that passes waste to the outside
Cont. …

Description
➢ It is the bulbous/enlarged area located at the end of large
intestine
➢ It is also known as common sewer because it receives the
openings from digestive system, reproductive system and
urinary system
➢ External opening of the cloaca is known as vent and its size is
variable depending upon the productivity of the birds
 Digestive Process in Poultry
Proteins Fats Starch

MOUTH amylase

Maltose

proteases
STOMACH

Peptides

SMALL peptidases bile salts amylase

lipases maltase
INTESTINE
Amino Fatty Glucose
acids acids

= main site of absorption

Accessory Digestive Glands

There are three accessory digestive glands which play a vital role
in the process of digestion
1. Salivary Glands
2. Pancreas
3. Liver
Accessory Digestive Glands
Salivary Glands

➢ It is responsible for production of saliva

➢ Its secretions ranges from 7 to 30 ml per day
Cont. …

The salivary glands are:

1. Maxillary – in the roof of the mouth
2. Palatine – on either side of the nasal opening in the roof of the
mouth
3. Apheno-pterygoid glands – in the roof of the pharynx on each side
of the common opening for the eustachian tubes
4. Anterior sub-mandible glands – in the angle formed by the union
of the upper and lower beaks or mandibles
5. Posterior sub-mandibular glands
6. Lingual glands – in the tongue
7. Crico-arytenoid glands – around the glottis
8. A small gland in the angle of the mouth
Cont. …

The saliva has following functions:

1. Lubrication of the feed
2. Digestion, it contains salivary amylase which is responsible
for carbohydrates digestion
3. Acts as a buffer, it contains bicarbonate and other salts
4. Helps tasting the feed
5. Protects the mucous membrane and keeps it moist
6. Helps regulate the body temperature
7. Contain enzyme known as muramidase which is bacteriocidal
in nature and thus it produces the local immunity
Accessory Digestive Glands
Pancreas

➢ Pancreas produces a pancreatic juice

➢ Its pH is 6.9
➢ It is released in the distal end of the loop of duodenum
➢ Pancreatic juice contains four kinds of enzymes;
1. Proteolytic Enzymes
2. Lipolytic Enzyme
3. Carbohydrate splitting Enzymes
4. Nucleolytic Enzymes
Cont. …

A- Proteolytic Enzymes
There are five different kinds of proteolytic enzymes
1. Trypsinogen
2. Chymotrypsinogen A
3. Chymotrypsinogen B
4. Procarboxy peptidase A
5. Procarboxy peptidase B
These enzymes are responsible for the break down of protein
molecules into simpler units
Cont. …

B- Lipolytic Enzyme
There are three type of lipolytic enzymes which are produced by
the pancreas;
1. Phospholipase, lipid breakdown.
2. Pancreatic lipase, lipid breakdown.
3. Cholesterol esterase, esterification of cholesterol
Cont. …

C- Carbohydrate splitting Enzymes

➢ These consist of:
1. Pancreatic amylase, acts on the starch and converts it
into simpler units
2. Invertase, acts on the sucrose and convert it into simpler
sugar
Cont. …

D- Nucleolytic Enzymes
There are two kinds of nucleolytic enzymes:
1. Ribonuclease
2. Deoxyribonuclease
Cont. …

Besides enzymes, pancreatic juice also contains cations and

anions.
Cations:
➢ Na+, K+, Mg++, etc.
➢ These act as buffer, cofactors, and osmotic regulators
Anions:
➢ HCO3-
➢ These mainly act as buffer and osmotic regulators
Organs and Functions
Liver
Liver:
The largest glandular organ in the body
Aids in the metabolism of carbohydrates,
fats and proteins.
Cont. …
Liver is a bilobed structure and it performs the following
functions
1. Detoxification
2. Store of vitamins and carbohydrates, carbohydrates are
stored in the form of glycogen
3. Formation plasma proteins like albumin and globulin
4. It activates and inactivates the protein and peptide
hormones
5. Liver is a site for the destruction of old RBCs
6. Formation of bile, which is responsible for the emulsification
of the fat
Digestive System of Poultry
 POULTRY DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Storage

Glandular stomach -

Grinder Common outlet for digestive,

urinary, and reproductive systems
THANK YOU