Pretty all my information and everything I think I know on Cubas came from this thread. You know what they say, 'Garbage in, garbage out". I don't have the knowledge or experience to argue with anyone about what is what. All know is, breeding cubalayas is a lot more difficult then I ever imagined and the fact that their is not a clearly defined road makes it all that much more difficult.
Out of the 400+ chicks that I hatched and raised last year I only kept 18 as possible long term breeders. I bred from some of them this spring (several were used as broodies only) to see if they would throw me any good chicks not hesitating to throw them and all the chicks out if they don't produce the quality I'm looking for, some of that could vary with what they were bred too. I'll probably cull 7 possibly more of those 18 because they just simply don't meet the standard in type or temperament as they have matured.
This year I have 300+ chicks hatched and have half a dozen or so that look promising at this point but we'll see as they mature.
There is just as much satisfaction in enjoying my fowl as it is to raise one that is exceptional in almost every way. When I get all stressed out with the responsibilities of life, I go and sit where I can observe my chickens and slowly those stresses are replaced by more of a relaxed state of mind. I really do enjoy my fowl! Another thing that can become stressful is when I raise more than I have space for and that's no fun. I hate to crowd a lot of chickens into a small space. Personally I think chickens do a lot better if they are not crowded and will actually mature more quickly when they have the space they need.
It's been difficult for me too and I've been discouraged more than once, but usually it helps to share your discouragement with others because most long term breeders know what you mean and are able to encourage us where we are lacking in courage.
Sometimes I've had high hopes and/or expectations for certain pairings but when that certain pair was bred together they did not produce 1 chick that was worth keeping, well that can be discouraging, then when either of those was bred to something else one or both of them produced good chicks. For some of us breeding can be hit or miss especially if we're breeding for show stock because then they need to match a standard.
So if you are still interested in breeding cubalayas just hang in there, eventually you will produce good birds.
When grading in another breed to add size etc. it can become discouraging fairly easily because I have a mental picture of how I want my cubalaya to look and I tend to want them to look like that right now, not several years later, and that can be good in a lot of ways, it'll help to get the line back to cubalaya type sooner than if we were just breeding fowl because we want pretty looking chickens. Just because a chicken looks pretty doesn't mean it get's to stay here and I've raised a lot of pretty chickens!
Keep marching my friend and don't be afraid to share some of your struggles. We all need encouragement periodically.
