Why isnt my rooster fertilizing my eggs when hes 11 months!

[happyhens44]

Quote:
Thanks HappyHenss44. I knew I'd seen that somewhere but didn't have it bookmarked so I couldn't find it to add to my post....

Yup.

 

[happyhens44]

Quote:
I dont want to get rid of my roo. But I had some chicks hatch really early this morning and I bet one will be a roo. and the 4 chicks that hatched are from my neighbors coop, which they have a really good Rooster so Ill wait and see gives my other rooster whos not doing his job more time to get his act together. Plus I have 9 in the bator, im bound to get atleast 1 roo. And if I do change my mind that I dont want to keep my 11 month old roo, My mom was a friend who takes rooster, she butchers em.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Well, there are some things that could be going wrong here:

1. Sometimes the fluff around their bottoms can get in the way and prevent the semen from entering. You can trim the fluff to help this.
2. It's possible he just hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet.
3. He may still be young, like you said.
4. He's a dud......

ETA: I just noticed you're from Wisconsin. If the weather is anything like here in Ohio, then I wouldn't expect to have an fertile eggs because of the cold temperature. The roosters hardly mate at all in the winter as they spend energy keeping warm. I've noticed it with my roosters as they hardly crow, too.

 

[happyhens44]

Haaha My rooster never shuts up

I like the "he may be a dud"

To tell the truth I really dont think hes getting the hang of it, because he tries I saw him try to get on my RIR, and He kind of diddent get on all the way and slid right back off.

it could be the fluff too, hes pretty fluffy, Ill trim Tommorrow

 

[speckledhen]

Funny thing, my first rooster, also a Barred Rock, bought at 10 months old, in quarantine for over five weeks, when he was introduced to my ten ladies, he took FIVE MONTHS to produce a fertile egg. He was such a laid back gentleman, wooed the ladies over time, then took a while to get his technique down. He turned out to be the best rooster I could have ever wanted. That was my sweet Hawkeye.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Wow.

 

[happyhens44]

Quote:
So do you think I should wait for him? I wonder are barred rocks just layed back slow developers.

 

[jen5680]

I would for sure give him more time b4 you get rid of him!! Esp if you see him mounting the
girls and not doing it right. He just needs more practise it sounds like.

 

[mener6896]

I'm sure he'll get better at it, especially if another roo comes around (the little ones that you hatched) I have a relatively young roo too, under a year, and just hatched 9 out of 12 eggs (3 still in bator) He definitely got more aggressive once I added another roo.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Which brings up a point. With all the interest in chickens, it is going to be increasingly difficult, or perhaps, impossible to find "homes" for all the unwanted roosters.
Folks who order chickens need to better understand this going in. It simply isn't possible for all these roosters to either find keepers who actually want them for breeding as they aren't likely super duper quality birds, in that regard. "Don't want him eaten, but can't keep him" is an increasingly impossible wish.

Second, with so many people residing in places where roosters cannot or should not be kept, this is simply a reality that needs to be faced.

Off my soapbox now.