Rooster infertile?

[emmyn74]

I have a 1 1/2 year old speckled Sussex bantam rooster that I saved out of all the males I hatched last year to use in my breeding pen for this year...he has been in the pen with them for 2 months now. I have set two batches of eggs in my incubator - same one I used last year . Hova Bator inclubator...two mercury thermometers confirm heat is correct 99.5 and humidity is correct. I had no problems hatching many batches of chicks last year with my old male (3 year old that I got rid of this winter). Out of the two batches of eggs ( one was 26 eggs and the other 31 eggs) none of the eggs have shown any fertility at all when candling...I let each batch stay in the incubator for two weeks just to confirm..all eggs have been completely clear... In my breeding pen I have one hen who is 2 years old and three pullets who are one year old. Has anyone had this happen to them? I know from now on I will be keeping more than one male to prevent this... I have never had a rooster that has turned out to be sterile. He acts normal...doesn't appear to be sick...has never been sick...he is mating fine...he is pretty mean and attacks everyone who goes in the pen...but he was the best looking male I got last year so that's why I kept him.

 

[Pyxis]

Have you cracked open some fresh eggs to take a look and confirm for sure that they're not fertile and the problem is the rooster? A fertile egg will have a white bullseye on the yolk.

 

[emmyn74]

Have you cracked open some fresh eggs to take a look and confirm for sure that they're not fertile and the problem is the rooster? A fertile egg will have a white bullseye on the yolk.

I had not...but I just did...I cracked the Sussex eggs and put them in cups....I compared them to my silkie eggs that I have....the silkie eggs all have the bullseye...the Sussex eggs r all completely clear...

 

[Pyxis]

It does sound like it may be a rooster problem. Could his feathering be covering his vent when he tries to mate, so he can't get good contact and sperm transfer? It may be worth trimming the feathers around his vent and seeing if you get any fertile eggs after.

Edit: To be clear, these were fresh eggs, right? Not eggs pulled from the incubator that you had already started incubating?

Are you doing eggs from other pens/breeds in the same incubators and getting those to develop and hatch?

 

[emmyn74]

It does sound like it may be a rooster problem. Could his feathering be covering his vent when he tries to mate, so he can't get good contact and sperm transfer? It may be worth trimming the feathers around his vent and seeing if you get any fertile eggs after.

Edit: To be clear, these were fresh eggs, right? Not eggs pulled from the incubator that you had already started incubating?

Are you doing eggs from other pens/breeds in the same incubators and getting those to develop and hatch?

I will check the feathers around his vent and do some trimming..he is a very nice male for breeding which is why I picked him so I would like to do all I can before I get rid of him..I have my pens divided...my breeding pen for silkies is separate from the Sussex breeding pen. The males stay in there full time...I don't switch them out. And yes these were fresh eggs that I just got yesterday and was saving to put in incubator. This is the start of my incubation year so I have only set Sussex eggs so far...I have silkie eggs that I am going to start in the incubator but have not done so yet...