Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[Oldhound]

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.

The hen looks like my Red Pyle hens , even if this hen isn't in fact Pyle, The Pyle factor changing the black to white. I enjoy the variations in this breed along with their beauty and temperaments.

 

[troyer]

That's what most of mine are running at this year. I had one cockerel over 5 pounds at 6 months. He's the one that died from over exhaustion earlier. 50% of my pullets at 8 months are at the 4 pound range, I just weighed them on Dec. 2, 2012, I'm having a struggle getting good tails on most of my pullets. The hens that I bred from last year that I'm keeping to breed again this year range in the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pound range. I've got two 8 month old cockerels that weigh a bit over 5 pounds and two that weigh 5 3/4 pounds. I am over all pleased with the turn out of last seasons' breeding. I hatched over 400 chicks last year and have about 30 to choose to breed from in 2013 breeding season. Ideally I'd like to have 12 hens/pullets and 6 cocks/cockerels to breed in this breeding season, unless I decide to single mate all my pens, then it would mean 6 hens/pullets and 6 cocks /cockerels.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Not that I will be getting any for a while, but can anyone recommend a breeder to me? I am looking at Cubalayas primarily for meat. Broodiness is just fine by me, and welcomed. I hear some lines are small and geared towards eggs, so trying to avoid that. Right now, I am looking at Zook and/or Sam Brush, but may very well be missing out on others. Thanks!

 

[cubakid]

Vcomb, the gentleman you met is Tim Bowsher. He created using only large fowl, his own line of bantams. I might contact him for birds this month, as I met him at Crossroads and he told me to contact him for some. He has excellent birds from what I've seen. They proportionally look like a large cubalaya, but with correct bantam weights. It might be a bit too cold for shipping from Michigan but I'm not in any hurry. I was going to use a Ko that i took from a friend with a long tail to breed to my small wheaten cuba hen from my original breedings of Largefowl, but unfortunatley we had our first predator attack when a family of hawks expanded into our territory. I don't know if I really even have the time, I just wanted to get some because there are not many around and I fear there might be issues that make it even harder to find in the future. I kinda wanted them for more of a preservation.
Zach

 

[cubakid]

Punk a doodle, my experience ( outdated I'm sure from 6years ago) is that Zooks birds are coming close, underweight only slightly, but are in my opinion bred almost strictly for show. I talked to Sam this month and he is not doing so well hatching wise. I couldn't beg a bird off his property. But he will, according to what he says, be focusing on cubas this year. And hopefully he can overcome the issues he has with fertility. Talk to Dr. Charles Everett. He has very good size on his birds. He goes by Saladin or doc and comes around periodically to check in. Many breeders will tell you that they have sold out for the season, meaning wait till next October or so.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Thanks so much!

 

[Vcomb]

Vcomb, the gentleman you met is Tim Bowsher. He created using only large fowl, his own line of bantams. I might contact him for birds this month, as I met him at Crossroads and he told me to contact him for some. He has excellent birds from what I've seen. They proportionally look like a large cubalaya, but with correct bantam weights. It might be a bit too cold for shipping from Michigan but I'm not in any hurry. I was going to use a Ko that i took from a friend with a long tail to breed to my small wheaten cuba hen from my original breedings of Largefowl, but unfortunatley we had our first predator attack when a family of hawks expanded into our territory. I don't know if I really even have the time, I just wanted to get some because there are not many around and I fear there might be issues that make it even harder to find in the future. I kinda wanted them for more of a preservation.
Zach

Yep that'd be him. Talking with him was one of the main things that made me decide to keep working with them. Things have been.....a bit nuts the last few years for me with moving back and forth a few times from two states and trying to manage the flock from afar so I haven't really been good at keeping in as good of contact as I'd like with many breeders of the breeds I have. I believe there's a gal named Kat up in Michigan who has the bantam cubas also. Need to check in with her sometime and see how her breeding is going.

 

[cubakid]

she posts on the Ultimate Fowl Forums, I believe her year went ok, but you can ask yourself
I personally don't care for the spangleds, I don't know why, I just don't think they are as pretty. I love the look of BBRed Cubalaya cock in the lawn. If in correct tail condition, they are even more breathtaking. I'll have to repost some old pictures of my founding flock of Largefowl.

 

[cubakid]

I've also heard of Danny Padgett raising bantam cubas. I know he won best of show at Crossroads with his Muscovey, but wouldn't have ever guessed he raised cubalaya bantams. I guess that's me being used to not having competitors. It's not the same getting Best of Breed when there were 10 cubas at the show, all being yours... One day maybe.

 

[troyer]

cubakid; What about these two large fowl cockerels, they are spangled/mottled 8 months old.