Healthy rooster sudden death.

[spicywing]

Hi,

I found my six month old rooster on the chicken coop floor last week, alive with head movement and eyes open although completely lame in the legs/lowerbody. A few hours later he was dead. Prior to this he was a healthy young man, had just began to crow in the morning and enjoyed chasing the ladies around. I feed my chickens mixed grain with pellet concentrate so diet is not an issue.
Heart attack maybe?

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like he could have had Mareks disease or possibly botulism from eating a toxin found in rotting vegetation or animal/fish carcasses. In botulism, the feet and legs become aralyzed, then the paralysis spreads upward to wings, neck, and breathing muscles causing death within 12-24 hours. In Mareks disease one or both legs or wings can become paralyzed, and the chicken can be unbalanced using wings to help walk or stand. Of course, it could be something else. The state vet could perform a necropsy to find a cause of death if it happens again. Sorry for your loss. Here are some links to read about both disorders:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq