The lateral branches or barbs of the vane are held together by hooked anterior barbules that catch on the saw-like edges of adjacent posterior barbules. The skin of poultry is dry and does not produce its own oil. In poultry, there is an oil gland located dorsally to the stumpy tail of the bird. The oil is distributed when the feathers are kept in order as the bird preens itself. Pigmentation Pigment cells or melanocytes are located in the deepest layers of the epidermis or in the underlying dermis.
Melanin is a pigment formed in organelles called melanosomes .
Melanin is passed from melanocytes to skin cells by cytocrine secretion. Melanin is formed from the oxidation of tyrosine by tyrosinase. Absence of this enzyme results in an albino animal. Variation in the color of farm animals is caused by variations in the amount and distribution of melanin. Melanin may be extracted with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and then recovered by acidification.