Unbalanced rooster!!

[Wil781]

I have a Bantam Rooster that is 9 months old, he has been acting strange for the last week. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and my daughter was taking care of my chickens. After taking care of them for a week and chickens acting normally she called to tell me my rooster was just sitting and would only get up if she attempted to pick him up. Then a few days later said he was a little off balance she called me the next morning said he was doing good, walking and doing fine. I got home today and he was just sitting not getting up which is not normal when he sees me coming to the run. I picked him and up when I put him back down he stumbled to the right side after he gained his balance he walked ok but would stop and go back thru the same steps act off balance and then correct himself.

I have removed him from the pen and put him in a small cage so that I can monitor him (currently he is in my mudroom). I gave him some Nutra-Drench, a couple of drops to the beak, he doesn't feel like he has lost any weight, his poop looks normal, His comb is red (the tips look a little darker). I am worried about him stressing because he isn't out with the hens and I'm worried about the hens contracting this if it is a disease (Meraks is my fear).

I need advise on how to treat him, he is my favorite I hatched him and raised him and would hate to loose him.

 

[micstrachan]

If he has something contagious, they’re already exposed. How well does he tolerate being handled? I would examine him. Check for atrophy in his breast muscle and for bloating in his abdomen (which would be indicative of ascites from fluid leaking from an internal organ.) It looks in the photo like his comb is in good color. How does his poop look and how does his crop feel? I would assess his crop first thing in the morning to make sure it’s emptying properly.

 

[rebrascora]

Can you get a better photo of his eyes. In that photo, the eye you can see looks unusually dilated. Can you compare one eye to the other and make sure they are the same size and shape pupil. It may of course just be the camera angle. If you scatter food down in front of him does he manage to eat it OK.... Depth perception is sometimes a problem with Marek's and they pack at things harder than necessary or peck and miss if their focus is off.
Have you added any new birds to your flock in the past few months or had any other sick birds that may have had Marek's symptoms or unexplained deaths?

 

[Wil781]

If he has something contagious, they’re already exposed. How well does he tolerate being handled? I would examine him. Check for atrophy in his breast muscle and for bloating in his abdomen (which would be indicative of ascites from fluid leaking from an internal organ.) It looks in the photo like his comb is in good color. How does his poop look and how does his crop feel? I would assess his crop first thing in the morning to make sure it’s emptying properly.

His breast feels normal no wasting, belly feels normal also. His poop looks good formed maybe a little harder than normal. He eats purina crumbles and fruits and vegetables mainly as snacks. In the morning I will check his crop to make sure it is emptying. I'm not sure if it is his legs or what it looks like he wants to sit on his backside instead of just squatting, when he is walking he seems unbalanced but his tail feathers are up, I have checked for mites he is clear so really have no idea.

 

[Wil781]

Can you get a better photo of his eyes. In that photo, the eye you can see looks unusually dilated. Can you compare one eye to the other and make sure they are the same size and shape pupil. It may of course just be the camera angle. If you scatter food down in front of him does he manage to eat it OK.... Depth perception is sometimes a problem with Marek's and they pack at things harder than necessary or peck and miss if their focus is off.
Have you added any new birds to your flock in the past few months or had any other sick birds that may have had Marek's symptoms or unexplained deaths?

Both eyes look the same, I gave him some raisins on the floor of his cage and he seems to have no problem. No new birds, my neighbor had a sick one that was culled about 2 months ago, it was a hen and couldn't walk at all. She was ok one day and couldn't walk at all the next day, but she didn't have a necropsy done so dont know what it was.

 

[micstrachan]

I hate to say it, but with everything else seeming normal, Marek’s would be my strongest suggestion at this point, too.

 

[Wil781]

QUOTE="micstrachan, post: 20223829, member: 416066"]I hate to say it, but with everything else seeming normal, Marek’s would be my strongest suggestion at this point, too.[/QUOTE]
Oh Lord I pray not, I don't want to lose my baby or my hens, they just started laying yesterday.

 

[Wil781]

I hate to say it, but with everything else seeming normal, Marek’s would be my strongest suggestion at this point, too.

He is still the same as he has been, color still good, walks some, still crowing, eating and drinking. He also flaps his wings a lot. Sometimes seems unbalanced and has his wings down but tail up. He is really missing the hens, I assume hens have been exposed after being in coop with him for week before I got home, should I keep him quarantined anyway?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

In a situation like this, I usually only quarantine if I want to get a good feel for how much they are eating and drinking and how their poop looks, and to give them a break from the heat (or cold in winter). It can also make medication easier. Other than that, everyone else is already exposed so those are the only really reasons to separate if they aren't picking on him or anything.

 

[Nambroth]

View attachment 1469495
[...] No new birds, my neighbor had a sick one that was culled about 2 months ago, it was a hen and couldn't walk at all. She was ok one day and couldn't walk at all the next day, but she didn't have a necropsy done so dont know what it was.

I hate to say it, but with his symptoms and this news of how your neighbor lost a bird (okay one day, couldn't walk the next), you should consider that it might be Marek's. Marek's spreads very easily via dander... for it to spread from a neighbor's property would be very common, sadly. That said, since there is no cure for Marek's, if I were in your shoes I would do some investigation to see if there is anything else -- treatable-- that he might have. If you go to this page and scroll down to "Are there any other diseases that look like Marek's?" and have a read through, see if any of those fit your situation. It might be worthwhile to try some B vitamin therapy, just in case. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/