No fertile eggs, I have rooster

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Hi, I have a rooster who I got fertile eggs from last year (well from the hens he fertilised obviously haha) and hatched chicks but I have a broody now with second batch of eggs and looks again not fertile. First batch were just not fertile. It's day 5 and they look like yolkers again. I cracked 2 of them and they were just yolk so not fertile.
I see him covering my hens that laid those eggs so they should have been fertile shouldn't they? But they are not! Anyone know why?.. We are just at the start of Spring here in Australia -does season make a difference?
Oh and now I have 2 broody hens!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Is he molting? I heard it could cause a temporary decline in fertility.

 

[Dusty15]

If the hen gets up and shakes her feathers the rooster successfully got it

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

No not molting at the moment... Yes my hens do the shake after he gets off. - I had 4 hens in with him and took 2 away so he only had to cover 2. The rest are pullets so no mating with them yet.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

If the hen gets up and shakes her feathers the rooster successfully got it

Not true.

 

[Weeg]

Can you post a picture of an egg that hasn't been sat on when you crack it before you have broken the yolk? Look for a little pale spot, and take a picture of that, and if it looks like a bullseye then it is fertile. If you post a picture, we can confirm if it's fertile. Here is a pic of what I mean, sorry if it's kinda confusing, try to cut the glare in the picture to make it easier to see the spot.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I have 3 eggs sitting on my bench and 4 left under 1 broody. I am thinking the ones under broody are yolkers so tomorrow I'll have to break her since its her second round sitting so I don't want her to go any longer for her health if she's not going to hatch anything. The other broody is day 1 and sitting on nothing.. Should I just put my 3 eggs (from my bench) under a broody and see in a couple of days if anything develops? ... I'm thinking of breaking both broody hens and waiting till I have more eggs and check fertitily of eggs first. What do you all think?

 

[Chicalina]

I see you keep silkies. Weirdly none of my silkie hen's eggs hatched but others did of the other breeds (all by silkie rooster). Do your hens need their floofy butt feathers trimming a bit in case they were covering their vent a bit during mating?

I'm just wondering if this is a thing with silkies?

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

...also in closer inspection of my roo, he has a little bit of poo stuck to his feathers hanging off. He isn't a type of chicken that will sit in my lap allowing me to pat or to bath and haircut like my hens.. So any ideas how to clean him up? Also could this cause problems mating?
I attached pic

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I see you keep silkies. Weirdly none of my silkie hen's eggs hatched but others did of the other breeds (all by silkie rooster). Do your hens need their floofy butt feathers trimming a bit in case they were covering their vent a bit during mating?

I'm just wondering if this is a thing with silkies?

Last year I trimmed a few fluffy butts but not Roo or one of the laying hens that hatched chicks no problem last time so I left her as is. She is one that was laying then went broody now so they are her eggs and should be fertile I thought... I have only Silkies and inexperienced so maybe they need a few more weeks of laying before they are fertile in the Spring after their Winter break? I hatched last year but end Spring /Summer time.