Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[troyer]

This cockerel is no more. He was really nice. Him and his daddy went at it when I wasn't at home and became completely exhausted, he died almost two weeks later. I tried to revive him but to no avail. His daddy almost didn't make it either. I've still got two full brothers to him, but they're not nearly as big as he was. I guess I'm learning some lessons the hard way.

This is a 7/8th cubalaya cockerel. Weight is 5 lbs. 6 ozs. At 6 months old he's an inch higher at the shoulders than his daddy. His daddy is black and his mother is blue.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Oh my! So sorry to here that. He was a beautiful bird. Let me ask, was there a winner of the battle? I have raised free range chickens for over 20 years and have seen this type of thing many times. In my experience, the loser dies, not because of weakness, but because of a loss of will to live. The loser will usually starve himself to death. You can save them in most cases if you move them to a different place far away from the winner and give them a couple of strange hens. It is amazing what happens when you do this. A rooster looks like he is knocking on death door will get up and start courting the girls. You can save them this way, but you can never bring them back to the same place where the winner lives. They will just go at it again.

 

[troyer]

This black cockerel was the winner, but it didn't do him any good. A hard lesson learned. I don't like it when they fight like that.

 

[troyer]

Flashy wheaten cockerel. Late May hatch. 15/16th cubalaya.

 

[wood&feathers]

Beautiful birds Troyer, and an eye opening lesson for us all. Something about this late warm spell has really got my birds going. The girls are laying, the summer broody babies are coming in to lay and the roosters are getting wacky. I've pared down to 4 roosters but need to make some hard decisions - just not enough hens to go around.


Jungle Explorer, I am curious to see how your hatchery chicks work out. Our 4H poultry coordinator is weighing an order of cubalayas from Sandhill next spring. Are those white chicks in your Welp order?

 

[wood&feathers]

Our birds have certainly turned heads at the county fair, even if not SOP perfect. No one here had heard of cubalayas, but the incredible bearing and poise of the birds makes an impression. They really thrive on human attention, while still being bright and active, not just a lap mop. I think several people here will be looking for the breed.

Do you all find the cubalayas to be "show hams"? Ours seem to really puff up and strut when they see people all looking at them. The cocks really puff out and stand high, and even the hen I brought strutted and sang. Sure they crow the whole time, but put them up on a table and gather around and they really pop their buttons showing off. We only go once a year so it isn't like they are trained to it.

 

[bruceha2000]

Nice looking bird. What is the other 1/16th?

 

[troyer]

I don't know what the other 1/16 is, but the closest I've gotten according to how his daddy looks is that it's something long tailed. I bought his daddy from a guy as a cubalaya but he's obviously not quite full blooded cubalaya but very close. This is his daddy and his mama as a pullet this spring. His mama is a straight cubalaya with yellow legs and beak. She throws some nice big cockerels. I'll be using her again this spring. I'm not using this cock again, he's looking for a new home. He'll be three years old this summer.

 

[jonaedna]

Our birds have certainly turned heads at the county fair, even if not SOP perfect. No one here had heard of cubalayas, but the incredible bearing and poise of the birds makes an impression. They really thrive on human attention, while still being bright and active, not just a lap mop. I think several people here will be looking for the breed.

Do you all find the cubalayas to be "show hams"? Ours seem to really puff up and strut when they see people all looking at them. The cocks really puff out and stand high, and even the hen I brought strutted and sang. Sure they crow the whole time, but put them up on a table and gather around and they really pop their buttons showing off. We only go once a year so it isn't like they are trained to it.

Pretty much all my cubalayas are natural posers.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Jungle Explorer, I am curious to see how your hatchery chicks work out. Our 4H poultry coordinator is weighing an order of cubalayas from Sandhill next spring. Are those white chicks in your Welp order?

All the chicks are the same color, the color difference you are seeing is cause by the mix of the white camera flash and the yellow light put off by the heat lamp like.