Out of 12 eggs in the incubator, only ONE is developing at 5 days. One! Did my rooster forget how to do his job, or are the hens just not letting him?
I have only 2 Bresse hens, 1 rooster, (and 1 pullet) in this pen. They are about 1 year old now. Incubator is a kebonnixs, I've used it several times with great success.
I know he's fertile. I had 3 hens last fall. Two of them tried to set with 13 or so eggs, all fertilized. But I ended up with only one surviving chick. Then a raccoon took the chick's momma. So I now have the other hen who had gone broody, and one hen who has not. (And the chick/now pullet.)
I collected up 12 eggs over 6 days, stored properly, and set 5 days ago. Candled them tonight to great disappointment.
I have suspicions that this rooster is smarter than he's letting on. He's heard me threaten him several times, after an attack on me, "Just wait, d!*khead, as soon as I get some chicks out of you, you're soup!"
Or is there something preventing successful mating?
They all appear and act healthy, getting good quality all-flock feed.
Ideas?
I have only 2 Bresse hens, 1 rooster, (and 1 pullet) in this pen. They are about 1 year old now. Incubator is a kebonnixs, I've used it several times with great success.
I know he's fertile. I had 3 hens last fall. Two of them tried to set with 13 or so eggs, all fertilized. But I ended up with only one surviving chick. Then a raccoon took the chick's momma. So I now have the other hen who had gone broody, and one hen who has not. (And the chick/now pullet.)
I collected up 12 eggs over 6 days, stored properly, and set 5 days ago. Candled them tonight to great disappointment.
I have suspicions that this rooster is smarter than he's letting on. He's heard me threaten him several times, after an attack on me, "Just wait, d!*khead, as soon as I get some chicks out of you, you're soup!"
Or is there something preventing successful mating?
They all appear and act healthy, getting good quality all-flock feed.
Ideas?