Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[cubakid]

Does he seem to have good type?

This bird is solid white except the upper hackle. He had decent type, but is only 2 months old or so.

 

[cubakid]

i dont but if you do i probably will in the future because i got some chicks from a hatch between your birds a nd a zook cock

I doubt any will surface from your birds, but if they do, cull.

I have seen less this year than I did two years ago(I only hatched a couple dozen bbreds last year).

 

[gallorojo]

I have never had stubs show up ever. I've had countless problems, but stubs isn't one.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

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.

Thank you for the excellent, well written letter of encouragement. The numbers are especially meaningful to me, because I feel there might be one or maybe two pullets from the 75 birds I hatched this year that might be good to use as breeders, and this is me, who does not know his head from a hole in the ground as far as what to look for, saying this. I don't know if II am just being really picky or if they are really that bad. The parents look good and I keep hoping that kids will feather out to look like the parents at some point. The cockerels all look the same to me at this age, so I can't tell, but there is a lot of difference in the pullets. I am not breeding to show, but still want to breed towards the proper weight and type. My purposes are of a more practical nature then show. But I have always believed that anything worth doing is worth doing well, so I strive to do everything with excellence. It is when excellence seems to beyond my reach that I become discouraged. But I am stubborn if anything, so I will continue on.

 

[Glimmer Otnes]

I love my cubalayas! Overall I've owned five, 3 hens and 2 roosters.
Here are some pictures of them:


Her eyes are gorgeous!






Baby cubalayas!






Dyno our beautiful rooster









Daisy is broody!

 

[4hmom]

nice golden male. that female with the eyes you like she has pearl eyes whitch are a defect just so you know if you go to breed for quality

 

[Glimmer Otnes]

Thanks

 

[saladin]

What are the weights on your Goldens? Where did you get them: Ideal?

 

[Penny Hen]

Oddity. He has white feathers except the hackle. I checked what feathers he had on his saddle and there were none. This was a very smoky chick. I'll keep him long enough to see what's going to happen.

I agree he looks to be colored like the Coronation Sussex. Now somebody correct me if I am wrong, that is the Colombian pattern with the Lavender gene?

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I have a question. I ended up with two wild type pullets this year. One of the pullets is my best looking in almost every aspect except for her coloring (if you talking SoP), but that is not what my question is about. One of the wild type pullets has perfect white legs (the good looking one) and the other has the bluest legs of any bird on my farm. I mean these leg are BLUE. My question is this. I know there is no standard in the SoP for wild type cubalaya hens (not sure why), but hypothetically speaking, if there was one, what do you think it would call for in wild type females, blue or white legs?