Sterile Rooster

[Farmers wife]

I have unsuccessfully tried to incubate 2 dozen eggs, only to find that none are fertile. Could my Rooster be sterile? There seems to be only 2 hens that he's doing; and I have 2 other hens who are
sitting on eggs now!. I did move one of the (what could be fertile) eggs under one hen, and the other I left alone. Will a hen know that she has a blank egg, and just give up sitting, or will I eventually have to
shoo her off the nest and collect the eggs. I feel so bad for her, cause she looks like she wants to be a mom.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[alicefelldown]

When you candle the eggs - are they clear? Have you cracked open the eggs after you lose the hatch? Was there any sign of development?

It's hard to answer your question of fertility without more facts.

Most people candle on day 7 or 10 to make sure the hen / incubator isn't trying to hatch lost cause eggs.

People candle again on day 17/18 right before 'lockdown' when the chicks start to hatch.

It's possible to take your flashlight / candling set up outside and check on them while they are under the broody.

If the eggs were clear since the start then you have fertility issues. Might be sterile, or might be that he isn't mounting your hens enough. You said he only mates with two of them. How old is he? Their sperm count goes down with age. A rooster doesn't need to mate before each egg is laid, one mating should be good for a week or two, but more constant mating is better for fertility.

If they start to develop and then quit there are many other possibilities - genetic defects, bacteria, all kinds of things.

 

[Camelot Farms]

How old is your roo and what breed is your hen?

 

[Farmers wife]

Im not sure of his age, but someone delivered him to us after they found him in the road. Very friendly and quite a looker!. He gets along well with all the hens, but only 2 seem to be his favorite.
I actually had to borrow a chicken saddle from a friend, due to her back being so torn up by him. It was one of her eggs that I placed under the hens. As far as candling goes, I tried it, when I used the
incubator, but had no luck. I'm a little nervous to handle the eggs, while the hens are setting. If I do this, will it deter them from doing their job?
The rooster is a RI Red, and the 2 hens he's taken a liking to are Barred Rock and Comet.

 

[alicefelldown]

Quote:
Nope - just do it at night when the hen is sleepy.

 

[Camelot Farms]

The hen breeds are perfect

. Sometimes the cochin's fluffy butts get in the way of success.

 

[Farmers wife]

hey guess what, we had a chick....our 1st one and on Father's day
My roo isn't sterile after all.....

 

[ekemily]

congratulations! What a perfect day to "prove" his manhood.

 

[homesteader21]

I have a rooster that is about 11 months old. He tops my girls faithfully and I have incubated eggs, had hens sitting on eggs and no hatches! What could the problem be? Help please

 

[Richie]

I have a New Hampshire rooster. He lives with 2 New Hampshire hens. They are really quality standard New Hampshires and I wanted to breed them. I tried 3 clutches, 2 under hens and one in an incubator. Nothing hatched and it seems that nothing was fertile. I had never heard of a rooster being sterile, but I guess that is possible. I will try again next spring or summer if I get a broody hen, but I doubt if things will change.