A chicken is the most popular bird that is reared by many worldwide. It is normally used for many purposes, including its feathers, meat, and eggs, and some are kept just for the sole purpose of being pets. Chickens feed on plant materials such as grains, crops, insects, and worms. But does a chicken have teeth? This article explains if a chicken has teeth and how it eats food.
No, a chicken does not have teeth. Instead, it has a curved and sharp beak at the end, allowing the chicken to peck food and break it up before swallowing it. Also, it has a gizzard between the stomach and intestines used to grind its food.
Although chickens do not have teeth at the stage of infancy, they do have a tooth called an “egg tooth” for a short period of time. This tooth is very soft and attached to the egg to break it down, allowing chicks to escape. It is mainly used during hatching to release a chick from an egg.
It is only there temporarily and falls off after a few days. The tooth does not stay in place for long and does not aid in chewing. Therefore, it cannot be categorized under tooth function.
4 Reasons Why a Chicken Do Not Have Teeth
The following are four reasons why chickens do not have teeth:
1. If it has teeth, it will hinder the bird’s flying ability because teeth inside the beaks will deform and hamper effectiveness in flying.
2. It has a unique digestive system that breaks down food particles into small pieces.
3. It has a gizzard, a powerful muscle that contracts and breaks food into tinier pieces to be consumed.
4. Since chickens are prey, they do not have time to stand chewing food in case predators approach; therefore, they do not have teeth.
How Do Chickens Eat Without Teeth
Chickens will eat food using a curved beak that allows them to scoop up food with ease.
Chickens cannot break down food in the mouth due to the absence of teeth, but instead, they will use their beaks to eat by repeated pecking and smashing food against the ground or with the help of their feet to trap and break it down into small pieces that they can swallow whole. This process will make it easier for them to swallow properly for good digestion.
After food has been swallowed, it is pushed down with the tongue through the esophagus and gets into a pouch at the base of the neck called a crop. The food is stored in the crop for 12 hours before it travels deeper along the digestive system. It stores food, water, healthy bacteria, and other bodily fluids.
The chickens’ digestive system is very active when they are asleep. Therefore, the food goes from the crop to the stomach, where digestive enzymes work.
After that, the food moves to the gizzard. The gizzard contains small stones, or grit, which help break down food as it moves through the system. It has strong muscles that cause the organ to contract and grind the food against the grit to break it down into easily digested pieces before it moves to the intestines.
From the gizzard, food moves to the small intestine so that the chicken’s body can absorb nutrients. Then any excess food works out of the chicken through the cloaca as waste.
