Curious about Breeding - Questions from a Noob

I have been sitting quietly, watching my flock in the barn and marveling over how big they've gotten in such a short time. I have three types - large bodied pullets, Polish and bantams. I may have two large bodied roos, but I think it's just one. The cresteds I'm kind of torn about sex-wise. Both originally seemed to be roos, as someone said their head feathers swooped back, rather than around their face. Now though, one still seems swoopy and the other's is curling back around his/her face. I would post pics, but this is not really the question I started this thread for! Tangents, much, Eileen? Why yes!

I'm certain at least one or two of my bantams are boys. I don't think this is a big deal because I understand that they can't "do it" with a bigger chicken just because of the physical size difference. I don't want my eating eggs fertilized. So, finally, my question:

Since the Polishes' sexes are in question, I'm not sure I have two to mate (if they even liked each other!). As they are a middle-of-the-road sized bird, I wondered a.) will they breed with my large hens, and b.) can they breed with bantams? Does it even work like that? I mean, what would happen if a polish mated with a barred rock, for example? Or with a cochin banty? Can someone please explain chicken sex to me? I guess that's my real problem - I'm clueless! Thanks!

Eileen

As far as I know any size rooster and hen can mate successfully and the offspring will be of an intermediate size and type. However large breed roosters might a a little rough on a bantam hen in the process, they are often none too gentle - especially when young.

um.. as far as I can see in my yard, the bantam roos mate with the large hens, bantam hens & every girl in between... same goes for my standard roos. Tho they are harder on the standard hens than the bantams it seems but I have sweet roos... otherwise the girls beat them into submission. :)

May i ask why you don't wish your eating eggs to be fertilized? I ask because my Great Aunt refused to eat one that was & I never understood why. I can't see a difference myself.

I have had had yards full of chickens from bantam roos on standard hens and visa versa.

And I'm not keen about eating fertilized eggs either....

My friend calls the blood specks in fertile eggs "rooster spots". I don't know. The idea that there is/was a developing chicken embryo in my scrambled eggs just kind of skeeves me out. Who knows though, living here, I've gotten used to a lot of things that would have squicked me out when I was a girl in the suburbs! Thanks for the feedback - now I have to re-evaluate how I want to do things.

Oh, also, we're planning on selling our eggs at market, and I'm certain that blood specks in the eggs would shut down our sales rather quickly. Maybe we'll have to go with candling...

Blood specks don't mean the egg was fertile. It is a tiny piece of the hen's reproductive tissue that became embedded in the egg as it passed through the reproductive tract. It can be a genetic condition. Some hens always lay eggs with blood spots. Some do occasionally. Some never do.

You really can't tell easily that an egg is fertile...or at all, if it is scrambled. I just don't like the idea.

Comon Ladies, just suck it up and get over the prissy gurly syndrome...LOL. Get tough...eat some raw eggs, it'll do wonders for the mind...LOL. Hay.

Okay, Hay, now I'm gagging. ;)

me too.. raw eggs are disgusting sounding. I can't eat an egg that has that white floating thing in it.... but just a fertilized one doesn't bother me. The white floaty thing does bc my aunt told me when i was little i was killing a baby. Little did I know it died when it was put in the fridge.... Some ideas just don't die off well with age.

Oh Greyktttyn your so funny. But it is true old thoughts do die hard...LOL. Your so funny though...Hay.

As much as Billy loves eggs, I am quite sure he would not eat any raw ones... dont see any blood spots in our eggs, not that I ever looked, just cracked them, scrambled or cooked them and set the plate down for him... They are gone in 60 seconds..