Spontaneous Rooster Death

[BrahmaMom1797]

I don’t have any pictures nor was I there when the he passed away this morning, but I am rather confused about the whole situation. My rooster was awake and crowing this morning, pecking around and eating and drinking water amongst his girls. I hang out with the chickens before I head off to work and nothing is different. My mother informed me that just about half an hour after I had left for work my rooster had suddenly passed. No injuries and no prior issues that could’ve caused his passing. He was a bit special, missing toes since birth and always had a tick (he’d twitch and walk backwards a lot for unknown reasons), but it never hindered his health. My mom said he was as stiff as a board only thirty minutes after passing. Is this normal? Am I overthinking something that could’ve been something normal?

I will miss my little guy :-(

 

[Kessel23]

I have had Marek's disease kill a chicken after only half an hour of showing symptoms. Don't really have any suspicion of that though, just thought of it because the bird who died from it was also a White Silkie rooster. His pupils seemed to burst and he had a seizure like death. What is the weather like by you? The feathers on a silkie don't handle the wind well at all, if it was very cold and windy like it is here he could have died from that.

 

[BrahmaMom1797]

I have had Marek's disease kill a chicken after only half an hour of showing symptoms. Don't really have any suspicion of that though, just thought of it because the bird who died from it was also a White Silkie rooster. His pupils seemed to burst and he had a seizure like death. What is the weather like by you? The feathers on a silkie don't handle the wind well at all, if it was very cold and windy like it is here he could have died from that.

It was fairly warm today, though it has been cold. We kept him in a warm spot in our coop and made sure he was staying healthy and warm, he seemed really normal today but I could’ve missed something.
When he was a baby, I’m not sure if this could connect to any weaknesses in him, but we rescued him and a hen from someone who kept them under a deck with no sunlight or much light in general...

 

[Kessel23]

Well I am really not sure. It is hard to say because you were not there to see any of the symptoms. I have a silkie rooster who is doing fine at -10F so it does need to be pretty cold to get to them but they are less cold hardy than most breeds because of their feathers.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

So sorry.. no clue @aart

 

[chickens really]

Sounds like heart failure.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Possibly a seizure? Very sorry for your loss