Already lost. Confused and concerned.

[YukitaCynder]

One of my Olandsk Dwarf roos of about five months old suddenly stopped walking around the coop and just sitting on his haunches. I took him out immediately and noticed he seemed dazed and dizzy. I've seen that type of behavior in chickens who have been bullied out of there fair shar of food and therefore don't have enough vitamin B among other things.

Day 1) I hand fed him wet all flock feed for a day and he refused to drink.
Day 2) He was alert and eating and drinking water on his own when I put it in front of him. He still couldn't stand and would simply flop on his side when I took him out of his tote. On his side, he would kick and stretch his legs.
Day 3) Much the same and I made sure to keep him clean and change the paper towels under him regularly. His poops looked normal and became more consistent. I gave him 0.5 mL of vit B-12.
Day 4) He was doing well but I could tell his breathing was becoming labored and he seemed extra hot to the touch. I gave him 0.5 mL of Poultry Cell
Day 5) His breathing became very labored and he refused to eat he drank very small amounts of water and still felt hotter than normal to the touch. He still kicked and stretched his legs just fine but hit tail would twitch back and forth violently while he raised the feathers over his oil gland. He smelled like poop even when he was clean so I'm guessing he had gas. later that evening he passed away.

None of his other seven siblings are showing these symptoms (at least not yet). Does anyone have an idea of what may have happened? Should I dissect and look for clues?

 

[Perris]

Sorry for your loss It sounds to me like an infection of some sort, but I'm no expert on health problems, so I'll call on a few people who are and hopefully one or other of them will be along soon who can help you.

@azygous @coach723 @dawg53 @Eggcessive @microchick @Wyorp Rock do you recognize these symptoms? can you help?

 

[YukitaCynder]

Thank you so much in advance.

 

[dawg53]

It would be best to contact your local extension office or state Department of Agriculture and find out how to go about submitting your rooster for necropsy. You could also contact a veterinary college near you as well. That way you'll know for sure the cause of death.
I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[coach723]

I agree, an necropsy would be your best option. In many states it's not terribly expensive, and it can provide important information. They can do labs, which can't be done if you necropsy at home. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[azygous]

Yes, necropsy is the only way to find the answers.

The range of possibilities is wide. Anything from an encounter with a venomous insect or reptile to petroleum distillates (automotive products) to other toxins, food born or in the soil could be cause of death. Then there are avian viruses.

 

[microchick]

Thank you @Perris for the tag.

@YukitaCynder Sympathies for the loss of your rooster. I think you have a mystery on your hands.

His symptoms are puzzling. Usually with Marek's Disease, which is the first thing that usually pops into people's minds when they have a chicken die under unusual circumstances, the bird will lose the use of one leg at a time. It will be limping, then be walking on the knuckles. From there they completely lose the use of the leg dragging it behind them. The symptoms repeat in the opposite leg.

I don't think I've encountered a bird losing the use of both legs simultaneously and suddenly in Marek's disease, although your bird's symptoms do sound neurological in nature. Neurological symptoms and Marek's Disease go hand in hand but without a necropsy there is no way for certain that you are going to know at this point in time.

Is there any chance he could have injured himself? Fallen or been crowded off a roost bar and landed hard on something? That could account for the sudden loss of leg function although he had retained control of his bowel function. I recently had a Egyptian Fayoumi present with an injured leg that she was unwilling to put weight on. I finally suspected that she had suffered a slipped disc. She has since recovered but the point is that they can sustain back injuries the same as we can. BUT that would not account for the suspected fever.

I have to be in agreement with the other posts. A professional necropsy is in order to get at the bottom of what happened to your bird. It's going to be about the only way you will know what happened to him.

Hang in there. This happens sometimes where you just don't know why they die....they just die. And believe me, chickens LOVE to die. Hope you get to the bottom of what happened.

Blessings,
Becky.

 

[YukitaCynder]

Super late update: yes it was Marick's. I lost one of his only two sons the exact same way a few months later (it was heart wrenching). The Olandsk Dwarf breed seems (to me) to be more susceptible to it. My only guess is because of them being foreign to the US on top of them being brought back from near extinction with a flock of 50 individuals (or so I've read). This may cause a weaker immunity in the breed. Out of my (admittedly relatively small) flock it's the only breed I've seen be effected by it even with medicated feed for the first two to three weeks after hatch.

 

[coach723]

I'm sorry for that.
Medicated feed won't prevent or treat Marek's disease, it helps prevent outbreaks of coccidiosis. Marek's is viral and there is no real prevention or treatment options. There is a vaccine, it has to be given at one day old and the chicks can't be exposed to the virus for a period after that. It prevents the formation of the tumors associated with the virus, and reduces mortality, but it doesn't prevent the birds from getting, carrying or transmitting the virus. If you buy chicks from a hatchery you can order them with the vaccine if that is what you want. But it can be difficult to isolate them from being exposed for long enough once they are on your property, for the necessary period for the vaccine to take.

 

[microchick]

Sorry to hear that but rest assured, you aren't alone.

I seriously am starting to suspect that the more specialized and hybridized birds become, new breeds coming out, etc, the less resistance they have to disease. My most robust birds are my crossbred birds and barnyard mixes.

Consider in the future adding some more resistant breeds to your flocks. Some of the white leghorns, Egyptian Fayoumis, Naked necked Turkens, etc. I've had good luck with the EF's that I've added to my flock. Lost one rooster to a fox, one to possible botulism and one to suspected parasite load but the rest are doing very well with no signs of Marek's in my second generation birds.

I have also had good luck bringing vaccinated chicks to my flock but that is strictly up to the flock owners discretion. Some do some don't but when you are dealing with MD in your flock, you find what works for you and go with it.