Please Help!!! Rooster stumbling, no balance, sitting on hocks.

[MissLavender]

So yesterday morning I noticed my 8 month old Mosaic cockerel Valentine sitting in the food dish (unusual), so I watched him for a few minutes and noticed he was stumbling a lot, falling over, etc. He seems to be able to stand, but when he tries to walk he takes a few steps and falls over. I immediately panicked and thought "MAREK'S!!!" so I took him to the vet. She said that she doesn't *think* it's Marek's and that it doesn't have the usual Marek's paralysis presentation, but to monitor him and let her know of any changes. She says it's definitely neurological but beyond that the cause is nearly impossible to diagnose with anything short of a necropsy. For the time being she has given me Gabapentin and recommended poultry cell and vitamin B, which I got from TS.
No other birds are showing signs of illness...yet.
I will try to post a video so everyone can see what I'm talking about.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

One of my roosters acted wobbly like that after he was attacked by another rooster. When I found him he looked almost dead. I penned him up by himself so he wouldn't be killed. I thought he was a goner, but I fed him as much scrambled egg as he could eat, and after a couple of months or so he was back to normal. Really surprised me. Now he runs free and his tormentor is locked up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your lame rooster. Did your vet xray his left leg or look for an injury? At this point, I would hope that it is an injury or sprain, but I do think that Mareks might be a possibility. Poultry Cell does contain riboflavin (vitamin B 2) and other B vitamins, and riboflavin deficiency is good to rule out. If it is a sprain, it can take several weeks to get better. A vitamin B 2 deficiency should improve within a couplemof weeks.

There is a testing facility that can test a feather shaft or blood for Mareks while a chicken is alive, but the best results come from having your state vet do a necropsy after death opif you should lose him. The most important thing is to keep him near food and water, and I would limit his activity to force him to rest his leg if it is injured. Be aware that the other chickens may attack or bully him because of his limp. Separate him if they do. A dog crate with food and water, but kept inside the coop with others may keep him a part of the flock. Here is where to contact for Mareks testing on live birds:
https://vet.uga.edu/diagnostic-serv...ing_wp_cron=1576279735.9491329193115234375000

Here is a list of state vets to contact for a necropsy to get testing in a bird that has died:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[MissLavender]

It's only been 2 days but he doesn't seem to be getting worse. I started him on poultry cell, B12 and gabapentin this morning. I also put nutridrench in his water. I gave him scrambled eggs and yogurt this morning, which he wolfed down with gusto, and I've been keeping him in a large dog crate indoors covered by a sheet. I have puppy pads in there that I change twice a day to keep him from getting covered in his own poo.

 

[MissLavender]

Okay, so I checked him again this evening and he's definitely NOT worse. Haha...
His eyes are clear and sparkling, black as Obsidian unless you look under a high-powered light, then they're as dark as green eyes can get with symmetrical, round pupils that constrict in the presence of light. So that's GOOD news, right???

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Hmmm...I do wonder...
My other rooster, Topaz, spends about 10 minutes chasing everyone around first thing every morning, ESPECIALLY the other cockerels. Could it be an injury??? Perhaps...

I have no idea how being attacked could cause what I saw, but my rooster acted like he was drunk. He couldn't bend forward and eat off the ground without doing a forward somersault, so he had to sit to eat. And he was constantly falling back on his haunches when he walked. I felt so sorry for him and gave him scrambled egg every day until he got better (along with his regular food). He's back to normal.

 

[MissLavender]

He didn't make it. He just progressively got worse until he couldn't take a step. Then he tried to stand, fell over forward into his own poo and couldn't get back up. That's when I knew it was time to euthanize. I will never let a bird suffer that long again...
That's the first time I've ever taken the life of something I care about...not gonna lie, I'm pretty traumatized. Sending him in for necropsy.

 

[MissLavender]

Do you feed treats?

Occasional mealworms and sunflower seeds, but that's about it.

 

[MissLavender]

Update:
The good: he can stand, can take a few (stumbling) steps, can spread his little toes, wings work fine, was crowing at 5am, still has an appetite and ate ALL of the egg and yogurt I gave him.
The bad: his comb seems a little paler and a little purplish, and he kept missing the food while trying to eat.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do his eyes look normal and the same with normal iris color and round pupils? I am so glad that he is up and walking some, and eating some. Please let us know how he is doing again later.