Help!

[Monimari28]

I have a rooster who is now roughly 5 months old. He was completely fine but suddenly today he started jumping up and down spreading its wings then collapsed. We thought he died but he woke up and couldn’t stand. Although he can stand up now, he has trouble with his balance. We thought maybe something bit him, like a black widow? He’s our only rooster & we don’t have any other pets/ chickens. This was sudden. Any idea on what it could be?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It is possible that he had a seizure, but he is at the age that one might see signs of Mareks disease. Do you know if he was vaccinated? Head injury might be another possibility. For now, I would watch him to see if he gets worse or you see other symptoms. He should be near food and water, and if he is still having balance issues, I would probably place him in a pen or dog crate with food and water. When chickens act unbalanced, they may be attacked by others who sense something is wrong. If he is not being attacked, then use your own judgement on separating him. Seizures have been reported by others on BYC before. Vitamin E can sometimes be helpful in some neurological conditions, but do not give more than 400 IU daily.

 

[Monimari28]

I was just talking to a co worker and she also mentioned possible seizure. Thank you for the response. Do symptoms of Marek’s disease come on suddenly? And no he has not been vaccinated.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Where do you live please? and yes Welcome to Backyard Chickens

 

[Monimari28]

Where do you live please? and yes Welcome to Backyard Chickens

Northern California & thank you

 

[pennyJo1960]

So possibly in quarantine are what is the zip code please

 

[Monimari28]

So possibly in quarantine are what is the zip code please

95678. He back in his pen with food and water. Being held bothers him since this happened

 

[pennyJo1960]

looks like you are not in the quarantine codes so would hope to heck it aint mareks do not say it loud

 

[pennyJo1960]

So he is a lone bird you have ? they are social creatures need other birds for their health what are you feeding him please

 

[Eggcessive]

Just from your symptoms, to me it sounds more like a seizure than Mareks, but hard to know for sure. It is best diagnosed after death with a necropsy and testing feather shafts and any tumor tissue. Mareks can appear different in every bird, and there are 4 main types of Mareks. Some birds may only have one or more types. Here is some good information:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext...Preventing Mareks Disease in Small Flocks.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/