Rooster Fertility

[HeritageHenNut]

Question, can overgrown spurs actually affect rooster Fertility?

 

[Chickassan]

Past making the ladies dodge his advances i don't see how it could.

 

[junebuggena]

No, spurs generally do not hinder a roosters fertility. Molting and the shorter daylight hours of fall and winter definitely do, though.

 

[Mrs. K]

and age of a rooster, that with ^^ will affect it.

 

[sourland]

If they are curled to the point that he can not make cloacal contact, yes they can affect fertility.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Actual fertility, no. Spurs don't affect that. The ability to fertilize eggs, maybe. The rooster has to be able to get in the correct position to hit the target. It's always possible greatly overgrown spurs may hinder that. I'd think it depends on how they have grown and on the actual sizes of the rooster and hen.

Why do you think the rooster may not be fertile? Are you looking for the bull's eye in the egg, are incubated eggs not developing or do you not see him performing the act? Is it one hen or a flock-wide problem? How many hens? There can be different reasons for these things.

Age, injury, time of year, molting, frostbite, flock status, and who knows what else might affect the eggs getting fertilized. If the spurs are greatly overgrown it's likely the rooster isn't all that young so I'd be suspicious of his age being the cause. But it is not the spurs directly.

 

[HeritageHenNut]

Actual fertility, no. Spurs don't affect that. The ability to fertilize eggs, maybe. The rooster has to be able to get in the correct position to hit the target. It's always possible greatly overgrown spurs may hinder that. I'd think it depends on how they have grown and on the actual sizes of the rooster and hen.

Why do you think the rooster may not be fertile? Are you looking for the bull's eye in the egg, are incubated eggs not developing or do you not see him performing the act? Is it one hen or a flock-wide problem? How many hens? There can be different reasons for these things.

Age, injury, time of year, molting, frostbite, flock status, and who knows what else might affect the eggs getting fertilized. If the spurs are greatly overgrown it's likely the rooster isn't all that young so I'd be suspicious of his age being the cause. But it is not the spurs directly.

Age is likely the biggest culprit, I inherited this boy and his hens from a bit of a rescue situation and we have no idea of their age. I've had them about a year and finally gotten them over their horrid case of scaley leg mites, vent gleet etc. The hens lay fairly well, but haven't had any fertilized eggs out of their pen. Test hatches were all duds (did a batch just to see if maybe I was being blind and missing the bullseye...but nope). A friend came over and helped me deal with his overgrown spurs, it was just kind of a shot in the dark.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

No one said what kind of rooster or for that matter what flavor of hen that you are breeding this mystery rooster to. If his spurs are very long then that is an indication of age. Advanced age and parenthood don't go together.

Now how do you propose to tell if this old boy is in good physical condition or shape? Before the rooster even gets the hens phone number they should both be fed a breeder ration and only a breeder ration for at least 6 weeks. Care should also be taken to ensure that neither the hen nor the rooster is fat. Finally, many breeds of non-commercial chickens are not really intended to produce many chicks because many of these chickens are bred by so called "chicken Breeders" If these birds produced to many healthy chicks it would have the effect of breaking the chicken breeders' rice bowl.

Now especially if your propagating a fluffy butted variety of chicken it will behove you to shave the fluff from around the vent on both the hen and the rooster.
All this comes after considering all the other very good reasons already mentioned by others about why a rooster or for that matter a hen is infertile.

 

[HeritageHenNut]

No one said what kind of rooster or for that matter what flavor of hen that you are breeding this mystery rooster to. If his spurs are very long then that is an indication of age. Advanced age and parenthood don't go together.

Now how do you propose to tell if this old boy is in good physical condition or shape? Before the rooster even gets the hens phone number they should both be fed a breeder ration and only a breeder ration for at least 6 weeks. Care should also be taken to ensure that neither the hen nor the rooster is fat. Finally, many breeds of non-commercial chickens are not really intended to produce many chicks because many of these chickens are bred by so called "chicken Breeders" If these birds produced to many healthy chicks it would have the effect of breaking the chicken breeders' rice bowl.

Now especially if your propagating a fluffy butted variety of chicken it will behove you to shave the fluff from around the vent on both the hen and the rooster.
All this comes after considering all the other very good reasons already mentioned by others about why a rooster or for that matter a hen is infertile.

He is a Crevecoeur Rooster, and in good body condition. He's been fed on a breeder ration for the last year. All my birds get vitamins in their water as a boost once a week, just to make up
for any deficiencies. I was planning to put him over 3 Crevecoeur hens but a raid by a fox this week (someone helping me didn't close the coop up properly -.- ) has left him unfortunately single. I'm planning on moving him in with my laying hens for the winter.