Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

So... I have a rooster, doing his job, but well over 3 years old. No parasites (been on top of that), and healthy looking... all 3. Hens are laying every day. One hen is 4. Coronation Sussex. The eggs are not fertile.

It hasn't been a harsh winter.... they are in a fairly big pen, lots of room.

Will his fertility come back? Or is he stew?? Hes such a pretty bird.

If not... I will have two hens for sale.

Lucky is the same at the moment. zero fertility. We did have a dog attack and wyandottes do breed late so I'm giving him time. Last year was the same and by June he was 100%. I was checking bullseyes and seeing only spotty fertility so I threw a bunch in the incy for the 0% at 8 days. He is more active with the hens since I put 2 new lovely young things with him LOL!

How's the fluff around both their vents ? Does it need plucking for better contact?

Some times adding little extra protien at this time of year seems to help a little.
You can do this by adding Black oil sunfower seeds to the feed or adding a bit of grower or gamebird feed to the normal feed.

Give him more time, he should be good for another year or two, this is just a reminder to keep a replacement this year :)

Thanks all, and yes Ross.... VERY fluffy, as coronations are back there. They won't like that... but I will do that tomorrow, AND get some shelled sunflower seeds for them tomorrow!!

I would suggest clipping them rather than pulling them.... they will stay clear until they molt .. if you pluck it will or can grown back in 4-6 weeks. a good pair of scissors does a good job and less stress on the bird.
TL

Just curious, do you see him mounting the hen's? Just wondered if you could try AI with him to see if he is fertile.

I agree with the above suggestions! He shouldn't be shooting blanks for a few years yet. If he's doing the deed, and the hens are lifting their tails for him, you should be getting SOME fertile eggs at least.