Falling over chicken

[dsfrango]

Hello, I have a young Sumatra roo that is acting very strange on occasion. About 2 months ago was the first time I saw him do it. he kind of wiggles and falls over and just lays there for a couple minutes and then hops up and walks around like nothing ever happened. I didn't notice him doing it for sometime and now in the last 2 weeks I have seen him do it quite a few times. Very strange behavior. Does anyone know what could be wring with him? Thanks in advance!

 

[Eggcessive]

He could be having a type of seizure, but it definitely sounds like something neurological. Quite a few people have posted about epileptic chickens.

 

[Michael Apple]

Scoliosis (kinky back) is not uncommon in chickens. Inbreeding is often blamed for it's occurance. It is genetic and nerves are compromised by bone structure, and as chicks grow they can become lame, fall over on their backs, and have seizure type symptoms. There is also a gram positive bacteria, Enterococcus cecorum, which can cause identical problems, and not just in broiler flocks:
http://wattagnet.net/Spinal_abscesses_hit_US_broiler_flocks.html

 

[dsfrango]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll prob cull him. I don't want to breed that down to any offspring. He's a tad smaller than his brothers so another reason to cull him.

Thanks!

 

[Michael Apple]

You're welcome, although I wish it could have remedied the problem somehow.