Silkie rooster not able to mate with hens

[11ChickenGirl11]

My backyard flock consists of one silkie rooster (same size as a standard hen when counting the fluff ), and 10 laying hens about 2.5 years old. When my rooster mounts them, he tends to "slip" on their backs towards the hen's neck. This makes it so that he cannot "do the deed."
This spring, 14 eggs were set under a broody hen and none of them hatched, although Rarity was a very dedicated mother. We later gave her 8 chicks from the feed store who are now all fine pullets.
Is there a way to fix this? He used to be able to do everything fine and now not so much.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Usually they learn to forgo the neck bite in favor of reaching the cloaca. I had one like that too; he would end up slipping forward and straddling their neck, with the hens huffing and puffing like "what the heck" lol

 

[11ChickenGirl11]

Yep, same with my hens lol. After Milky gets off and looks all proud of what he has accomplished, the hens just stare at him all weird and confused.

However, Milky does grab onto the head feathers of the respective hen.

 

[lazy gardener]

Um... not to make negative comments about your silkie, but you might consider replacing him with a roo who is able to accomplish the task without "issues".

 

[SunHwaKwon]

If you definitely want his babies, you can do artificial insemination. It's surprisingly easy.

 

[Chickassan]

If you definitely want his babies, you can do artificial insemination. It's surprisingly easy.

Shut the front door! How does that work?

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Shut the front door! How does that work?

Yes I want to hear this also

 

[11ChickenGirl11]

If you definitely want his babies, you can do artificial insemination. It's surprisingly easy.

I would definitely want to learn about this as well.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Well, I had to do it in one of my animal management courses in college.

Start with the rooster. With the ones in school we had pull all the fluff from around the cloaca just for a cleaner catch. You "milk" the rooster by stroking and applying external pressure in the area of the vas deferens. Here is a video demonstrating.

It was collected directly into a little cup and then you suck it up into a syringe with a sort of pipette tip on it. Insert the tip into the hen's cloaca, plunge it in, and you're done. The hens were freaky because they were in the tiny battery cages and when they saw you coming they would run and press their butts up against the cage and you didn't even have to take them out.

Here is a decent walkthrough I think (I just skimmed it).

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Arti...fPoultry/ArtificialInseminationOfPoultry.html

 

[Chickassan]

Well thank you, now I know how to do something I never even knew was possible. Awesome! Think I should buy them dinner first at least.