Not sure if my rooster is fertilizing the eggs.

[Roberts2100]

I have never seen my last rooster jump on the girls back to do his thing. I have 20 something eggs in an incubator and I an not seeing anything in them. Is there anything I can do? I really wanted to have some more buff chicks. I use standard egg laying pellet feed and they free roam. please help!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Not seeing development could be an issue with incubation rather than infertility. Have you cracked any of your eggs and examined the germinal disc to see if you see the tell-tale sign that it has been fertilized? This is a good way to get a feel for how well your rooster is covering your flock - especially if you are at a point where you recognize which eggs come from which hen as you can tell if you are getting coverage where you really want it and/or know which eggs are best to choose for hatching going forward as you collect eggs after this check.

 

[Roberts2100]

So just crack an egg from the egg box? How many hens for 1 rooster anyways? I hear 1 chick chirping so I got 1 out of about 20 so far. Also, I have 2 hens that are broody now. They won't move. lol

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yes, just crack a few eggs from your egg box.
The ratio of hens to cockerels that works best will vary - but a good general one to work from is 10 hens per rooster. Since you have broodies, you might try slipping a few eggs under one or both - this will help you test whether it's the eggs or the equipment causing the issue.