Volume: 57 Issue: 3
Year: 2026, Page: 390-394, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.3.390-394
Received: Feb. 7, 2026 Accepted: June 3, 2026 Published: Sept. 30, 2026
Accurate estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) in avian species remains challenging due to rapid post mortem changes and the limited availability of validated external indicators. The present study evaluated the progression of rigor mortis and feather plucking resistance as practical markers for PMI estimation in chickens. A total of thirty six adult spent chickens were humanely euthanised and examined at defined post-mortem intervals. Rigor mortis was assessed at 0.5, 1, 2.5, 6, 12, 24 and 36 hours PMI. Six birds were removed randomly from the observations at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours PMI. The feather plucking resistance of these birds were evaluated using a ranked feather plucking resistance scale measured at each interval. Rigor mortis showed a consistent and time-dependent progression, beginning in the legs and extending to the beak region and wings, with complete rigidity observed within 12 hours. Partial resolution was evident at 24 hours, and complete disappearance by 36 hours. A very strong positive correlation was observed between PMI and rigor mortis progression (Spearman’s ρ = 0.948, p < 0.001). The resistance needed for feather plucking declined noticeably around 24 hours and substantial reduction between 48 and 72 hours PMI. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed a strong and statistically significant inverse relationship between post-mortem interval and feather plucking resistance (r2 = −0.90, p < 0.001). Rigor mortis was found to be a useful indicator for estimating the post mortem interval up to 12 hours while partial resolution at 24 hours and complete disappearance by 36 hours facilitated differentiation between early and intermediate post-mortem stages. Feather plucking resistance served as a useful complementary indicator, extending PMI estimation up to 72 hours. However, these parameters should be interpreted with caution, considering the influence of environmental conditions, tissue degradation and post-mortem biochemical changes.
Keywords: Post-mortem interval, Rigor mortis, Feather plucking resistance, Chicken
Abdou KA. (2001). Evaluation of rigor mortis and its application to assessment of the postmortem interval in dogs. Assiut Univ Bull Environ Res. 2001:4(1).
Bandara, R. M. A. S., Torrey, S., Turner, P. V., Zur Linden, A., Schwean-Lardner, K., & Widowski, T. M. (2023). Efficacy of three different cervical dislocation methods for on-farm killing of layer chicks. Poultry Science, 102(4), 102538.
Gupta, S., Sangwan, A., Singh, P., & Singh, S. P. (2025). Overview of conventional techniques for the estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI). In Advances in forensic biology and genetics (pp. 85 98). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https:// doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4585-5_5
Lucas, A. M., & Stettenheim, P. R. (1972). Avian anatomy: Integument (Agriculture Handbook No. 362). U.S. Government Printing Office.
Madea, B. (2016). Methods for determining time of death. Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology, 12, 451–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-016 9776-y
Morrow, T. L., & Glover, F. A. (1970). Experimental studies on post-mortem changes in mallards (No. 134). Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.
Oates, J. F., Henshaw, J., & Williams, G. (1984). The onset and progression of rigor mortis in birds. Journal of Zoology, 203(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/ j.1469-7998.1984.tb06045.x
Valverde, I., Espín, S., María-Mojica, P., & García Fernández, A. J. (2020). Protocol to classify the stages of carcass decomposition and estimate the time of death in small-size raptors. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 66, 1–13. https://doi. org/10.1007/s10344-020-01359-7
Wenzlow, N., Mills, D., Byrd, J., Warren, M., & Long, M. T. (2023). Review of the current and potential use of biological and molecular methods for the estimation of the postmortem interval in animals and humans. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 35(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387231153930
© 2026 Archa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Archa, S., Pradeep, M., George, A.J., Palekkodan, H., Krishna, D. & Rajasekhar, R. (2026). Rigor mortis and feather plucking force as external markers for post-mortem interval estimation in chicken. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(3), 390-394