Rooster down, can't stand up

[nightowl223]

I thought I would let you all know that while he appeared to be getting stronger we went out two mornings ago to find him unresponsive so we let him go over the rainbow bridge. Thanks to all who offered advice and suggestions!

Sorry for your loss. It's always the pretty ones that break our hearts.

I would refrigerate his body, and contact the state agriculture department to get a necropsy done. Some are free, some cost, but not very much. You really should find out what caused his death, to know what you may be dealing with.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm so sorry he didn't make it.
As someone who has Marek's in their flock, I would say that his behaviour and lack of coordination in the video was symptomatic of the virus. Often they don't suffer paralysis so much as apparent numbness and an inability to coordinate their limbs probably because they can't feel them. I've seen birds stand on and trip over their own toes with it. It is quite common for them to tip forward but some go backwards and some walk on their hocks.
If you do not want to send his body off for a necropsy and you are not squeamish, you could cut him open yourself and check all his organs and see if you can find anything amiss. If you can take photos of the body cavity and the organs, we have threads where we share such photos and discuss possible diagnosis here on BYC. Sometimes with Marek's you will find a tumour on the lung or heart or perhaps the liver or sometimes there is a mass in the gut. The first one of mine that I ended up euthanizing had a subcutaneous tumour on her abdomen and another on her leg but her organs were OK. Unfortunately she was so badly contorted with paralysis that she could not eat or drink and I felt that it was kinder to end it for her. Since then, I have lost several to it but I've also had a few pretty miraculous recoveries too. Unfortunately those that recover are prone to secondary and more severe and prolonged attacks which can be weeks months or even years later. They occur at times of stress. Perhaps this guy had been carrying the virus for a while and the young male starting to challenge him, triggered the attack, if it is indeed Marek's. It would be interesting to know what his body condition was like when he died? Did he exhibit any respiratory issues during those last couple of days?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I thought I would let you all know that while he appeared to be getting stronger we went out two mornings ago to find him unresponsive so we let him go over the rainbow bridge. Thanks to all who offered advice and suggestions!

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[coach723]

I'm so sorry he didn't make it.

 

[chicknmania]

He was standing some yesterday. Not super balanced but standing and getting around. We're going to put him out in the coop today and watch and see if he can get around and make sure the other rooster can't bother him. He needs more room than the crate. We're on the Puget Sound so it's not crazy cold here and the coop is well built.

So sorry for your loss. We are experiencing the exact same thing here only our cockerel is only three months old. I don't think it is Marek's as it is progressing too quickly, but I have no doubt it is some type of virus, and probably some type of viral cancer, because in our case, we had a chick from another hen this past fall die within hours after experiencing convulsions, and two of our cockerel's siblings also died recently and quickly of mysterious causes. We've had a couple of cases of what I felt was probably Marek's in past years, and it seems like they linger on a long time before dying. However, it does manifest itself in different ways. There are, however, lots of things that mimic Marek's symptoms...so it's just hard to say. Our cockerel is still alive but I don't expect him to survive. Just so you know, we have had to treat our flock this past winter for a severe coccidiosis problem, which we believe was the cause of death for three of our other young chickens,and also capillary worms in one of our hens, even though we deworm regularly. We've never had a severe problem with cocci before, but i've heard from others that it's a problem this year all over, and in our case this year, the cocci they had displayed no symptoms other than slight weight loss and lethargy. But, fecal float finally verified that is what it was. I have no idea if it's related to our neuro problems , but certainly is possible. Our flock has never had such a rough winter as far as illness. If you haven't treated for cocci and worms, it's something to consider for the rest of your flock. If you do a necropsy, please share the results.

 

[shelbyl]

My rooster is doing the same thing. Were you able to find anything out? Was your rooster ok?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

My rooster is doing the same thing. Were you able to find anything out? Was your rooster ok?

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