Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[Rujzin]

I thought I was getting updates whenever there was a new post in this thread and apparently I wasn't.

I'd like opinions on what you guys consider the most and least important traits when selecting breeding stock. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it's easy to get so passionate about this breed that you want them to lay like a Leghorn, dress out like a Cornish Rock, and have the forage and smarts of a Jungle Fowl, and producing consistently for years.

But the faster they grow, the more supplemental feed they need, and the more eggs they lay, the more likely they will burn out and have to be replaced each year like other breeds (I assume).

So what traits do you consider to be important for you? Is a broad, meaty body or better laying more important than efficiency? Do you worry about utility traits at all or is your full focus on ornamental qualities with less concern with fast growth, a meaty body, or good egg laying?

 

[troyer]

I am focusing on meat and eggs while keeping show quality. Most of mine appear wide and meaty and tend to be heavier than they look to be. I have the meat part and now I'm working on egg production. I personally want the pullets to lay eggs their first full year and then go broody after that. The vision for that is that I want longevity in my flock. If I allow all the pullets to breed and reproduce as they would like then I could potentially lose longevity, especially if they happen to die after the first year of producing. If I wait at least until they are two years old then I have more expectation that they will live longer overall. The pullets that want to go broody quickly in the spring I tend to select against. They often want to be broody too early in the year making it too cold for the chicks, even though most of them are very good mothers. Most of mine are tending toward show quality but my focus of meat and eggs has taken a bit of a toll on that. There are some breeders that focus only on show quality and in so doing lose the meat and eggs trait with the eggs trait suffering the most. In 2019 I raised some of the finest stock I have ever had, they seemed to have all the qualities I've been striving for. I gave two pullets to a long time breeder to try out and see what they produce with his birds. That is still to be seen at this point.

 

[troyer]

Those are really nice. Are the two hens to the right pyles or is it the camera? I have one pyle hen with a similar blush. I don't have any true whites and I'm tempted to add them to the flock. I've been building up my blacks as of late. Not intentionally - that's just the bulk of what seemed to hatch out this year.

It seems like a recessive white gene that's different from the more common (recessive white that is clean) that allows part of the wheaten color to come through. They appear to be more of a reverse pyle in the females and in the males they look severely washed out.

 

[Rujzin]

I am glad to hear that dual purpose qualities are being bred for. I recently picked up a Thai rooster to do one last hatch with a Cuba x Thai cross to see what I come up with.

Wider, deeper, heavier Cubas felt like something that would be healthier and lay better, anyway. But the images I see of many Cubas look very slender and delicate (in comparison to dual purpose breeds). Since the original lines were supposed to be good for eggs and meat I assumed they would have looked heavier. But maybe not if they were treated like our American Games and they wanted speed in the pit and when dealing with predators.

 

[Rujzin]

By the way. I have had a lot of black chicks turn out to be extremely dark wheaten roosters. They grow up looking like brassy backs. Have you had this issue? Have you been culling those out or using them to improve anything?

 

[Miulloj]

Greetings! This is THE BEST feed I've seen so far on the subject. If there is a better one anywhere that might be more active and newer please let me know. I accidentally came upon what I thought were OEGBs. Now I think they are Cubalaya bantam. Please take a look. If so what type? They are 8 weeks old.

 

[Rujzin]

The comb isn't right for an OEG so they might be bantam Cubalayas. Where did you get them?

 

[Miulloj]

Actually right from the sponsor of this site. They came with that chipmunk look but the male had far more distinct markings. Came as a group of 5 "sexed" bantams at a premium. Turns out not so. Probably 2 of 5 roos. Only 2 Cubans. They were the weakest to start but got them going well after a few days. They are quite robust now. Any idea as to subtype like Wheaton,BBRED...? Frankly I'm surprised and pleased such a rare species got thrown into the mix.

 

[Rujzin]

If they had a chipmunk look to them then they are BBR. Cubalayas are wheatens that are called BBR to confuse everyone. But I've seen Cackle Hatchery's bantam Cubalayas and a lot of them actually are BBRs. Recently they broke their birds out into separate breeding flocks so the ones that look like traditional red duckwings are now called BBRs and the wheaten colored ones that Cubalaya breeders call BBRs are called wheatens.

Here's the link: https://www.cacklehatchery.com/black-breasted-red-cubalaya-bantam.html

If that is what you have then congratulations and welcome to the world of Cubalayas. Once you get a taste for them you can build up your numbers and join us on the winning team

 

[Miulloj]

Sorry I got that wrong. I got them from https://www.chickensforbackyards.com/ You mean they are OEGBs and not cubalaya as I had originally thought? But the pea comb, coloring and low tails? Which is it or too early to tell?