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I agree, both birds are very beautiful! The cross one looks pullet-ish but do see what you mean by those darker feathers coming out by tail... pretty often, a different color coming up on saddles, wing bow and hackles of white chicks means it's a boy. Separate the feathers on back to look for pin feathers, by this age boys will be starting to show very pointy and super shiny feathers coming out of the pin feathers. If you're seeing rounded, non shiny feathers coming out.. could be a tricky pullet!
OK a couple thoughts, if both are boys: Both are definite lavender carriers. Both will throw a variety of colors, but both will only throw 1/4 lavender chicks with the black NN hen. (with lil Kev you get 50% lav chicks).
Pro for the pure NN: he completely lacks a bow tie, which is uncommon.. from the related birds to your NN, get only one or 2 complete bare necks out of say, 10-15 chicks. Seems rather hard to get but anyways, you will get more of it, eventually from the black hen/Kev and this one. We do not know if the cross bird got "whatever it is" that causes total lack of bowties. Him being very sweet is a plus. All his chicks will be naked necked- but all crosses will have the larger bowties like on the cross bird. On the other hand, he will be spreading the no-bowtie gene(s)....
Pro for the cross: will throw more variety of colors with your various hens. Probably get a wider range of sizes from bantam thru 'large medium'. If he did not get the barring gene, won't get barred anything unless you have barred hens(in that case, all barreds would be boys. Pure NN will produce barreds in both sexes). Barring combined with different colors can produce wonderful looking birds- example barring on a partridge/wheaten/black breast red will look like crele- pretty flashy. Guessing it has dominant white, which represses black very well yet not so well on the browns/reds so if you have brown EE hens, should get some brown/gold/red with white patterning(similar to red pyle). Con: only half of the chicks will be NN (75% with the black NN hen).
Pretty much all I can think of at the moment.. Perhaps hatch another round of eggs from the black NN to get more lavender chicks and then replace lil Kev with either of the stunning specimens above if he doesn't improve his manners? This pairing is your best chance for lavenders- 50% as opposed to 25% with either one of the young boys. (and no lavs with other hens)
Good luck with deciding!
Okay, here's what I'm thinking. Please steer me in the right direction if you see me going down the wrong path!!
The white is looking like a pullet. Her mom is a very large EE, lays a taupe egg. Say I breed her with Lil' Kev next year. She should give me 50% NN and at least 25% lavender chicks? I love the bantams, but would like to be able to free range my flock. I would eventually like to have a few LF lavender hens, then later add some blues and splashes to my flock. I wouldn't mind some bantams as well, but I don't want to completely eliminate my LF. I have to have a mixed flock and I'm limited to about 20 birds. I don't have any trouble finding home for colored egg laying hens so non NN's are easy for me to sell. I have a harder time finding people that want the NN's.
My little NN/EE pullet is healing amazingly well. Next week should be able to put her and Lil' Steve (the barred cockerel) into a temp. pen until I sort things out (Until next spring at least). Thanks!
