Infertile eggs ? How? Confused

[zayn]

Hello everyone so recently I attempted to incubate seven chicken eggs I believed to be fertile .
I currently have one Cockerel and two hens. the Cockerel is definitely doing the business but when I tried incubating the eggs all of them where 100% infertile. The only thing I can think of is that the Cockerel is not mating properly? Is that even a thing ? he is about 10 months old

the reason I think that he is not mating properly is because sometimes he tries to do his business but it looks like nothing is Going in if you know what I'm Trying to say? I don't know maybe I'm wrong but like

so is there any reason for this or any way to get fertile eggs from my chickens? I really want this breed so I am trying what'ver I can- I attached a photo of all three of my chickens in a cage so it is easier to see , thanks In advance!

 

[azygous]

He looks to be just seven or eight months old, right? Cockerels are unreliable little studs until after they've been at it for five or six months. There is the issue with reliable quality of sperm, but mostly it's technique. The cockerel has to learn, after months of hit or miss, to balance and get the right angle so his cloaca can make contact with the hen's cloaca so he can transfer the sperm where it can then make its way into the hen's "chamber" where it can fertilize her egg.

I've seen some pretty side-splitting "fails", the cockerel going right over the head of the hen to somersault and land on his own head, never managing to make contact.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hello everyone so recently I attempted to incubate seven chicken eggs I believed to be fertile .
I currently have one Cockerel and two hens. the Cockerel is definitely doing the business but when I tried incubating the eggs all of them where 100% infertile. The only thing I can think of is that the Cockerel is not mating properly? Is that even a thing ? he is about 10 months old

the reason I think that he is not mating properly is because sometimes he tries to do his business but it looks like nothing is Going in if you know what I'm Trying to say? I don't know maybe I'm wrong but like
so is there any reason for this or any way to get fertile eggs from my chickens? I really want this breed so I am trying what'ver I can- I attached a photo of all three of my chickens in a cage so it is easier to see , thanks In advance!

You did not go into any details about the incubation of the eggs????? You can have the best fertile eggs there is and not be able to hatch them----Fill us in on the details. Kind of incubator? What happened. etc?

 

[Pyxis]

Azygous has given you good information about why your eggs might not be fertile.

Have you cracked open some fresh eggs to confirm that they are indeed infertile? I would do that (look to see if you see the fertile bullseye). I would say do that so we can confirm it's definitely a fertility issue and not something that might be going wrong during incubation.

 

[zayn]

You did not go into any details about the incubation of the eggs????? You can have the best fertile eggs there is and not be able to hatch them----Fill us in on the details. Kind of incubator? What happened. etc?

I hatched the seven eggs in a brinsea mini incubator at temperature 37.7°C and humidity levels where that I've put water in only one part reservoir Eggs were turned automatically. I have hatched only quails before this was first time with chickens.

 

[zayn]

Azygous has given you good information about why your eggs might not be fertile.

Have you cracked open some fresh eggs to confirm that they are indeed infertile? I would do that (look to see if you see the fertile bullseye). I would say do that so we can confirm it's definitely a fertility issue and not something that might be going wrong during incubation.

How is the bullseye test done ? Whenever I have cracked the eggs for poached egg I haven't seen no like dark spots or dark dots if that's what you mean ?

 

[zayn]

He looks to be just seven or eight months old, right? Cockerels are unreliable little studs until after they've been at it for five or six months. There is the issue with reliable quality of sperm, but mostly it's technique. The cockerel has to learn, after months of hit or miss, to balance and get the right angle so his cloaca can make contact with the hen's cloaca so he can transfer the sperm where it can then make its way into the hen's "chamber" where it can fertilize her egg.

I've seen some pretty side-splitting "fails", the cockerel going right over the head of the hen to somersault and land on his own head, never managing to make contact.

This seems the likely cause , so do you think I should give it say about 3-4. Months more till I try again for incubation? Also thanks a lot for this helpful info!

 

[Pyxis]

How is the bullseye test done ? Whenever I have cracked the eggs for poached egg I haven't seen no like dark spots or dark dots if that's what you mean ?

You just crack it open and look for a white spot on the yolk, called the bastodisc. When the egg has been fertilized, it becomes a blastoderm, and the white spot takes on the appearance of a small bulls-eye.


This thread has good pictures: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

 

[zayn]

You just crack it open and look for a white spot on the yolk, called the bastodisc. When the egg has been fertilized, it becomes a blastoderm, and the white spot takes on the appearance of a small bulls-eye.


This thread has good pictures: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

Haha never knew this! Always thought it was a myth! Will definitely double check for this on the next egg. Thanx!

 

[PD-Riverman]

I hatched the seven eggs in a brinsea mini incubator at temperature 37.7°C and humidity levels where that I've put water in only one part reservoir Eggs were turned automatically. I have hatched only quails before this was first time with chickens.

What was the humidity for the first 18 days and the humidity the last 3? Did you do a eggtopsy after they did not hatch to see how they developed?