Rooster fertility and molt

[chickenmomma16]

Holding the eggs for three weeks is too long. If your storage conditions are excellent you might get an occasional one to hatch but I would expect that to be really rare. Even holding them two weeks is risky, though if your storage conditions are ideal it could be OK. You might write the date on the egg when it is laid and compare hatch rate to how long they were stored before you set them to find your sweet spot for how long you can store them. For my conditions one week was fine but longer than that and it got iffy.

I've only set eggs once when the rooster was molting and got a pretty good hatch. I don't consider that a good database, not enough samples for it to mean much.

Several years ago I saw a thread on here where breeders were discussing this. If they are going to show in a certain show they wanted their birds to be a certain age. That meant they needed to hatch in winter. It was a time of year discussion, molting was a part but there were probably other factors. I can't remember all the details. There was no agreement. Some said hatch rates were no different, others said they saw a large decline. I don't know if that was because different roosters were affected differently by the molt, the shorter days, or something else or because something else was affecting hatch rate, maybe collecting eggs in really cold weather.

I know 3 weeks is much too long. I think I solved that issue and I’m setting every 2 weeks. By the dates on the eggs the 3rd week is a killer. Some DO hatch though! I do date my eggs and yes, most of my non developers are the old eggs. It’s all I could do with 3 hens and one small incubator.

That’s interesting! I’d love to read through the thread if I can find it. Hopefully he will go slow since he seems to have started really early. So far he’s keeping busy with the girls still.

 

[chickenmomma16]

On re-reading your question. The hen molt will STOP egg production, and for several weeks, unless they are pullets. However, pullet eggs are not really big enough to get a good hatch either, or so I have been told.

These are hens about 2.5yrs old. I know molt will stop laying, for me it will probably be March before they start laying again when the quit. No pullets of laying age yet.

 

[chickenmomma16]

Well. Almost a month later since I started this thread and I see my rooster mounting the hens and I have NO fertile eggs the last 3 weeks. He was only with the 3 girls. He has lost most of his tail feathers and has lots of new ones coming in on his body. But the girls are still laying. This is frustrating I hat to eat those eggs! I think I’m done hatching for a while. At least until the girls molt themselves.

So do you think he is missing the mark not feeling 100% or temporarily infertile?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is hard to say when you are looking at them, let alone across he internet. It could be either of these or even something else. If the feathers in that area are short and growing in it may be painful for him to complete the mating by touching the vent.

 

[Mrs. K]

I notice that your hens are wearing aprons, I have read where that can interfere with hitting the right spot. I would take them off and try again. Or wait till spring.

Are you opening eggs and checking or just trying to hatch and checking that way?

 

[chickenmomma16]

I notice that your hens are wearing aprons, I have read where that can interfere with hitting the right spot. I would take them off and try again. Or wait till spring.

Are you opening eggs and checking or just trying to hatch and checking that way?

I checked both ways. I had no development in my last 2 sets so I opened up some eggs and they are definitely not fertile.

That’s a good suggestion about the saddles. They’ve been wearing them all season though. But I’ll try taking the saddles off. I don’t know what it is about him but he is SO rough on the girls! I look forward to replacing him with one of his sons for that reason.

 

[chickenmomma16]

Alright, saddles are off, fluffy bums are cleaned up and they are penned up just the 4 of them again. Let’s see if things improve.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would eat the eggs and check them. There is no point in incubating them until your eggs start having a 90% fertility.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I would eat the eggs and check them. There is no point in incubating them until your eggs start having a 90% fertility.

I plan to crack them open and check fertility before setting anything.

 

[chickenmomma16]

So I thought I’d update this... I think I’ve answered my own question.
I had my cock separated with only the Ameraucanas and I had ZERO fertile eggs. He had been with them fo a long time. I decided to test my theory out and I moved him in with the layers who did not have a rooster with them and were showing no fertile eggs. With in a week of him being with the layer (in full molt BTW) I had 100% fertility with my layers eggs and Zero fertile eggs with the pure Ameraucanas who I had moved over because I needed their pen. I’m thinking my Ameraucana girls are so finicky and my cock doesn’t want to fuss with them. The layers squat readily. The Ameraucanas make him work for it.

Edited to add: I also talked to their breeder and it’s a known thing that Ameraucanas are finicky. It was mentioned, cocks prefer hens of a different kind so it’s recommend to not pen them together with other breeds. Although, I’m not sure if it’s actually the cock preferring other breeds or the hens are drama queens and making it difficult on him. Either way, my Ameraucanas are proving difficult to breed together. He can see my layers (they share a partial wall inside the coop) when I pen him with just the Ameraucanas so I think he’s not breeding the Ameraucanas and hoping to get with the layers.