Eggs Not Fertile Even With 3 Roosters

[cwb]

I have got 7 Barred Rock hens and 3 Barred Rock roosters. They are around 1 year old. I started hatching eggs from them September of last year and all were hatching with no fertility issues whatsoever. But just a couple weeks ago, all of a sudden, none of the eggs were fertile. I have tried hatching two separate batches and not one fertile either time. I haven't been doing anything different. Been feeding the same feed. No clue what is going on and why it happened so fast. I have other chickens in separate pens connected to these chickens and eating the same feed and still have perfect hatch rates from those. Just don't know what is happening and seeing if anyone can help.

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

I have got 7 Barred Rock hens and 3 Barred Rock roosters. They are around 1 year old. I started hatching eggs from them September of last year and all were hatching with no fertility issues whatsoever. But just a couple weeks ago, all of a sudden, none of the eggs were fertile. I have tried hatching two separate batches and not one fertile either time. I haven't been doing anything different. Been feeding the same feed. No clue what is going on and why it happened so fast. I have other chickens in separate pens connected to these chickens and eating the same feed and still have perfect hatch rates from those. Just don't know what is happening and seeing if anyone can help.

Ah, 3 Roosters to 7 Hens is horrible.. Overmating probably happened.
Another issue I can think of, and I had this myself is that the roosters aren't letting each other mate with the hens. My roosters used to attack each other-- and still do but they calmed down. That was until one tries to mate with a hen. Suddenly the other rooster (s) come out and lunge at the rooster trying to mate to get them off the hen and then runs off. Just a thought!

I suggest and heavily suggest getting rid of two roosters, I know it's hard, but it's for your flock's safety and concern.. Best of luck to you!

 

[Toothpick]

I suggest you keep the roosters and add about 20 more hens

 

[cwb]

Ah, 3 Roosters to 7 Hens is horrible.. Overmating probably happened.
Another issue I can think of, and I had this myself is that the roosters aren't letting each other mate with the hens. My roosters used to attack each other-- and still do but they calmed down. That was until one tries to mate with a hen. Suddenly the other rooster (s) come out and lunge at the rooster trying to mate to get them off the hen and then runs off. Just a thought!

I suggest and heavily suggest getting rid of two roosters, I know it's hard, but it's for your flock's safety and concern.. Best of luck to you!

I was wondering if that may not have something to do with it. Thanks for helping me out!

 

[cwb]

I suggest you keep the roosters and add about 20 more hens

That sound like a plan right there! lol

 

[GlicksChicks]

Too many roos to too little hens can cause fertility issues. Roosters will fight alot and the hens will refuse breeding due to being overbred. They can even reject the sperm becausd they have started to not like any of your boys.

 

[K0k0shka]

Ah, 3 Roosters to 7 Hens is horrible.. Overmating probably happened.
Another issue I can think of, and I had this myself is that the roosters aren't letting each other mate with the hens. My roosters used to attack each other-- and still do but they calmed down. That was until one tries to mate with a hen. Suddenly the other rooster (s) come out and lunge at the rooster trying to mate to get them off the hen and then runs off. Just a thought!

I suggest and heavily suggest getting rid of two roosters, I know it's hard, but it's for your flock's safety and concern.. Best of luck to you!

I agree with this. Also important to point out that if they are about a year old, then last fall when you had no issues, was because they were all still very young and hadn't gotten fully territorial yet, so they were allowing each other to mate. Right now though, they are older and we are entering peak chicken breeding season, so they are getting serious about it and not letting each other mate, trying to establish one alpha but they are probably too evenly matched to figure that out easily. I agree that you need to get rid of all but 1 rooster. Adding more hens may also help, or it may not, depending on how serious the roosters are about wanting to hoard all of the hens instead of "divide and conquer" - some will divide them up and be happy, but others won't, and I don't know if you have the time and patience to wait them out and see.

 

[Paz]

Too many cocks and not enough hens is your problem

 

[Altairsky]

One of my hens caught a very mild respiratory illness. She laid a few glitchy eggs while she was sick.
Then she went broody.
All the eggs she laid for a week after her last glitchy egg were infertile. I'm sure it's not my rooster's fault.
Only the old eggs from before the illness and the very last egg she laid developed.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Agree with everyone here, a proper ratio would be 1 rooster for every 8-10 hens. I understand if you're not able to get rid of or eat your roos. I would maybe build them a bachelor coop.
https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/coops/set-up-a-bachelor-pad/