When are roosters considered old?

[CHICKENX2005]

I, have 3 4 year old roosters that i hatched. I have hatched chicks from all of them in the past. I also have one 1 year old EE mix rooster I have never hatched chicks from him before. Anyway I don't think they any of my hens eggs are fertile anymore. I would understand that maybe the 4 year old roosters might not be as fertile anymore but the 1 year old should be. Every other rooster I've ever had was long before they were 1 year old. He looks and acts fully mature and he has been mating the hens since last summer. But not even any of his eggs are forming anything when I candle them. I have several different hens sitting right now. And maybe 1 egg that looks like it might of started to forn something? Is it possible/ common for thus to happen to a EE rooster?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My oldest two males were still producing chicks at 8+, they just aren't anymore because of other flock dynamics

 

[CHICKENX2005]

My oldest two males were still producing chicks at 8+, they just aren't anymore because of other flock dynamics

Then what's wrong with my EE rooster I've never been able to get any chicks for him.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Then what's wrong with my EE rooster I've never been able to get any chicks for him.

If you've never been able to get chicks, he may just have something wrong genetically. I have a few males that make very weak chicks that don't make it to 6 months, and some that have low numbers that hatch. But I also have dozens of hens, including some that were infertile themselves so it's usually pretty hard to tell exactly who and why an egg doesn't develop. Plus some just don't l, even if the entire clutch is from the same bird. Just like how each round doesn't result in a baby with humans

 

[Egghead_Jr]

What latitude are you at? My boys don't start up until about this time of year. If your "infertile" eggs were from this spring and you are up North in low light that's likely the issue. Crack eggs randomly until you start seeing they are fertile then set for a hatch. I wont be setting eggs until Easter this year.

 

[nuthatched]

How floofy are your birds?

 

[CHICKENX2005]

How floofy are your birds?

Do you meant their feathers? Like how fluffy are they. I have all different kinds of chickens. All the ones that would be in question now are winter hardy fluffy birds.

 

[nuthatched]

Do you meant their feathers? Like how fluffy are they. I have all different kinds of chickens. All the ones that would be in question now are winter hardy fluffy birds.

Sometimes, chickens can't mate if their bums are too fluffy.

 

[CHICKENX2005]

What latitude are you at? My boys don't start up until about this time of year. If your "infertile" eggs were from this spring and you are up North in low light that's likely the issue. Crack eggs randomly until you start seeing they are fertile then set for a hatch. I wont be setting eggs until Easter this year.

It's been in the upper 60 here for a while. The weather app says we've been getting about 13 hour of sun.

 

[CHICKENX2005]

Sometimes, chickens can't mate if their bums are too fluffy.

I've never thought of that... I don't think these are extremely fluffy. Just not like a leghorn. But maybe