Moulting Rooster? - Loss of Fertility

[Pooman]

So my one eyed rooster, Goliath

Literally one eyed, had his eye taken by a bantam in a fight, hence the name, it's the one you can see, the left eye. He has been sleeping lots, eating lots, eating egg shells and generally not doing the deed. 6/6 eggs from him i put under a broody all no go. He has lost feathers under his wings and now more on his chest missing. He has been making half hearted attempts withs the girls, even refusing to go when they are submitting any waiting in front of him.
The eggs when cracked seem to have the bullseye so I thought they were all ok.
He is an Orpington about 2-3 years old


Questions
Do Roos moult
Does it normally affect the fertility
Do they normally stop doing the deed like i have witnessed
How long will he take to come good
Should I lock him up by himself so I can bring another roo in or will he get all bent out of shape and worry about his girls, thinking it might give him some rest time to get his mojo back.

Thanks Girls and guys

Edit: typo in the title

 

[shmccarthy]

Yes roosters do molt. my silkie rooster is finishing a molt and he it is also affecting his was with the ladies a little hehe
I am not sure if it normally effects fertility, someone else may have to chime in on that.
They may stop breeding or breed less. Molting is a lot of work for the bird and I know that hens lay less or stop laying completely when molting.
Depending on the breed and his feathering genetics, there's no sure way to say how long he will molt. Some birds molt quickly and some very slowly. It just depends on whether they are fast feathering or slow feathering. I would give him higher protein feed. I am feeding my molting birds flock raiser mixed with "show and game bird" crumbles. Both are good at giving a higher protien level to birds (which they need when molting)
I would leave him be. It's up to you really but I don't separate my molting birds mainly because I don't see much reason to and I don't want them to get stressed. Hope that helps a bit!

 

[donrae]

Yes roosters molt, and yes they're not reproducing when they're molting. Just like a molting hen, his energy is going to growing feathers, not fertility. Plus, with the age and time of year, he just may not be as interested. Spring is the usual mating time. Younger birds will mate year round, but I've noticed my older roosters don't care so much in the winter.

 

[Pooman]

Great, this is normal, Thanks for your replies