I went out this morning to my coop and all my birds were perfectly fine, but this afternoon we noticed my Bantam Dark Brahma rooster Cookie just sitting by the waterer. He was drinking and he looked like he was just hot and didn't want to move. This evening my younger DD went into the coop to refill the waterer and when she approached it, all the birds near it scattered, except Cookie. Since he was a chick he has not liked being held and he will run away when you approach him, so when my daughter was able to just walk right up on him, she instantly knew something was wrong. She scooped him up and brought him out to me where I was with the younger chicks and told me he wasn't acting right. She set him down and it's like his legs just went out from under him. So we brought him inside and put him in the bathroom thinking he must have gotten into a fight again with one of my Bantam BO roos, but we couldn't find any marks on his body. What we thought was a wound turned out to be poo. Someone must have pooped on his back. He's getting worse by the minute. He is flopping over on his side, can't walk, and keeps craning his neck back. I picked him up and held him and it almost felt like spasms going through his body. His breathing sounded a little raspy, but that could be from the odd angle he keeps craning his neck into. He was sort of whining too.
Update, as I was typing this, he died. My older DD sat in the bathroom with him in his last few minutes and held him. She said he went into a seizure before he died. Please oh please tell me this isn't Marek's!!! He was FINE this morning! And he was still mounting hens as of yesterday! His comb color was good, no nasal or oral discharge, nothing out of the ordinary other than his sudden collapse. What can I do to protect the rest of my flock? I have broodies with chicks out there and a broody on eggs, and lots of teenage chicks out there! No one else is showing signs of illness. What could this be? Should I move my ducks and treat everyone for Cocci? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated! I don't want to wake to more birds dead if I can possibly help it!
Update, as I was typing this, he died. My older DD sat in the bathroom with him in his last few minutes and held him. She said he went into a seizure before he died. Please oh please tell me this isn't Marek's!!! He was FINE this morning! And he was still mounting hens as of yesterday! His comb color was good, no nasal or oral discharge, nothing out of the ordinary other than his sudden collapse. What can I do to protect the rest of my flock? I have broodies with chicks out there and a broody on eggs, and lots of teenage chicks out there! No one else is showing signs of illness. What could this be? Should I move my ducks and treat everyone for Cocci? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated! I don't want to wake to more birds dead if I can possibly help it!
