What's wrong with my cockerel, he's staggering around?!

[DaisySteiner]

Noticed yesterday that our 2 year old cockerel was looking a bit unsteady on his feet and this morning he's really staggering around as though his legs are weak or he can't balance or something. Still eating and drinking OK though. Any ideas?!

Were there lady hens about? They do this staggering thing as part of the courtship rite.

Are you able to put him in a hospital pen away from the others and keep a close eye?

my cockeral did this once and it turned out his crop was impacted or something... How does the crop look?

Definitely wasn't a courtship thing - I've seen that lots before and this was different, more like he'd lost his footing.

Will go and look at this crop and report back - would he still be eating though if it was that?

if they are stupid enough...yes

OK, proper inspection will have to wait until dh gets home because that is one mean-looking beak and I don't fancy trying to hold him with one hand and fiddle with his crop with the other!

I noticed his comb looks a bit blue too...he's definitely not right at all. He was the only chicken-survivor from our fox-attack a few weeks ago too, I'd be so upset to lose him.

Really!
Can you move him away from any other birds?
There is something called blue comb disease I think it's a virus.. I'll try and find some info

A blue comb is often the sign of heart failure. Hope he's ok.

Found him this afternoon lying on his back Turned him over and he's still very much alive, still eating etc, just seems to have lost the use of his legs completely. Not looking good is it?

Something similar happened to one of my Silkies - staretd out with a crooked neck and by the enxt day she was on her back unable to move. We put her out of her misery.

I was worried it was Marecks, but someone on the PP forum thought it may have been Seahorse Syndrome. But unless your cockeral is a Silkie or a Poland it wouldn't be Seahorse Syndrome.

Oh God... that doesn't sound good. How old is it?

whoops,.. just saw in your op he's 2... sorry

what kind..?
we had an enormous buff orpington cockerel, who couldn't support his own weight. He died don't know the actual reason though

He's a Maran. Have tucked him up in the house, couldn't obviously feel an impacted crop but not sure what one would feel like anyway! Will see how he is in the morning...

have a look at his crop in the morning before he's eaten...if it is full and hard it's impacted.
Don't think it's that now though...What did your dh think?

Sounds like Mareks to me. Typically their legs lose all strength. He might pull through, if it is, depends whether he has developed tumours or not (am a bit hazy on chicken physiology).

If he doesn't make it, if you've got other birds you might want to send him for a PM in case it's something the others might have, but you may not have replaced the others after the fox.

Hope he's a bit better in the morning.

Well he's still flat out. Picked him up and his crop felt fine, but he did have HORRENDOUS lice around the back end of his body (feel terrible that I hadn't noticed before, but I don't usually pick him up!) Sprayed him with the cats Frontline spray last night which seems to have completely got rid of them, but he's still just lying on his side.

We have thought about putting him dwon but don't really want to while he's still eating and drinking...

Hello, Our 2 year old cockerel started doing a similar thing this morning, I found your thread and wondered how yours is? Did you find out what it was?
Thank you.