Infertile Drake(s)?

[HeritageFan]

I “renewed” my Welsh Harlequin flock last summer, due to them having aged out of laying after ~ 5 years, and picked up some juvenile ducklings that did (although not fully feathered out) appear to be pure welshies - which is how they were advertised on an ad locally.
Well. One hen is a baby from my previous flock- she’s great and I know she is purebred.
The drake is awesome- smaller than our last drake and feisty - but not at all aggressive. He will run at anything he thinks is scaring his girls and get TALL and stare it down- even if it is 6’2” me lol
I love him.

Two of the hens are definitely crosses, and a third may be a “golden”....but I think she’s also a cross.

I found another Welshie keeper locally, who absolutely has no funky crosses.

At the time, she had one drake and 5 hens, about a year old.

The first time I bought eggs from her to incubate, I bought a dozen. 0% were fertile. Set within three days of pulling the first eggs.

She picked up some more hens and a second drake- also about a year old, and she decided to keep the new drake/ re home the original, because he was pretty aggressive towards the hens and very aggressive toward the other drake.

This time I set 24 of her eggs. I didn’t expect high fertility because she has one drake and ...I think 10 hens.
However.
I was really hoping to have a few hens from her genetics to replace the questionable girls in my flock....
She is “holding” the eggs properly (cool area, not refrigerated, pointy end down) and all were set within 3 days of being laid. Candled yesterday at day 4, 0% fertility again.

I didn’t pull them out of the bator yet.... I want her to come and see for herself because I don’t want her to feel like I’m not being straight with her (I don’t know her all that well, we met only recently).

I am at about 75-80% hatch rate from my ducks, and 90% fertility rate.... maybe higher on the fertility because I track “losses” and am not super great at tracking losses due to a no start vs finding a crack at first candle....

I know she feeds an all flock layer pellet (Nutrena, I believe) and 16% protein. Lots of fresh water.
She does not lock them in at night but they have many safe places to go and a large protected run with lots of grass, deep shade, and sun. Oyster shell and grit (and food pellets) always available. Occasional (small amounts and very occasional) cracked corn cast as a treat. She has ducks and a few Sebastopol geese in the very large run (probably about 1/2 acre or a bit more)

I feed an 18% corn/ soy free layer, with a bit of rolled oats to cut the protein a bit, and add brewers yeast tablets to the feed.

She has not checked her eggs for the telltale “bullseye” when she cracks a few for breakfast. She said it would make her feel bad if she knew they were fertile

My questions:
- Is there anything that I might be able to suggest to her about why her eggs are continuing to be infertile, even through two drakes, top class cleaning and care, and young hens?
- my ducklings hatch health and thrive- but some look more like mallards to me than the Welshie babies I’ve had in the past.
Is it reasonable to just keep some of my own hens that look “right” for Welshie babies (no dark patches, no stripes by the eye) and replace my hens from my own hatches- with the goal of eliminating the cross girls?

....I know that would necessitate finding another drake before I hatch more babies... which I was hoping to avoid...

All brainstorming is very much welcome

Pix are my adults, and a couple of past hatches. The bator is pipping rn, but no one has made it out yet

And yes. There are some poults in a few of the pix. I love hatching poults w the ducklings.
The ducklings teach the poults to find the water and food no matter where it is. The poults teach the ducklings to not put up with being pecked at. It’s a good deal for everyone IMO

 

[HeritageFan]

I’m kicking myself for not starting a couple of my own duck eggs w hers so I could show her the difference... but I really didn’t think -at all- that I’d be at zero of 24 showing any signs of development...
And the turkeys will stop laying soon... so it’s hard to not fill the bator w those eggs when there are a handful of empty spots in the turner!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I’m kicking myself for not starting a couple of my own duck eggs w hers so I could show her the difference... but I really didn’t think -at all- that I’d be at zero of 24 showing any signs of development...
And the turkeys will stop laying soon... so it’s hard to not fill the bator w those eggs when there are a handful of empty spots in the turner!

I had a drake who I had produced fertile eggs for years suddenly become infertile. My best guess is that he had a slight penis prolapse that distorted him. I only discovered it when I put eggs in the incubator. The Welshie lady’s drakes may have suffered a similar fate.

 

[HeritageFan]

I appreciate the thought- but this drake is close to/ maybe not yet a year old.
The one she re homed was also just about a year old. And all hens are also young- some aren’t yet laying.
....perhaps it is more likely that he’s just not yet old enough?
He “appears” to be doing his job but ...?

My eggs have been fertile from the time the hens were willing to accept the drake, for both groups of ducks... as well as all of my turkeys... but perhaps that was a series of exceptions and not the rule?

Something seems off..?
@Miss Lydia - do you have any thoughts, or anyone to tag?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I really can’t help since I’ve not had to deal with an infertile drake. I’m thinking someone like @HollowOfWisps may be able since she’s into breeding.

 

[HeritageFan]

I can set a few eggs from my ducks in a few days- I just need to have the turkey eggs that do appear to be progressing properly staggered appropriately for staggered hatch dates.

I have some empty spots in my bator but like to set more than less for the hatches.... it would be a little sad to have a few turkey eggs left in this season and not get them set :/

I really can’t help since I’ve not had to deal with an infertile drake. I’m thinking someone like @HollowOfWisps may be able since she’s into breeding.

thank you