Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[troyer]

BBRed cockerel, aquired from Jim Zook.

 

[bruceha2000]

Beautiful boy!

 

[cubalaya]

very nice

 

[NeoFlightRN]

Very handsome!

 

[cubalaya]

not much going on here. everybody busy hatching? I hatched almost 60 cubalayas and so far 11 asils with more hatching this week. the white cock that I got from saladin is out of quarantine and in with my white cubalaya hens. will probably do a hatch or 2 from him before fall. added some cream legbars and may start raising them. I need a cockerel and pullet from a different line because so far I only have 2 pullets but they are jill rees line. the wheaton cubalayas are looking great so far. crossed my graded line with my straight line and they look pure cubalaya. shipping birds every Monday this month and will be finished until September when I ship a few asils

 

[Pasturedpeeps]

Maybe this is a silly question. What does the graded and straight mean in regards to your lines?

 

[NeoFlightRN]

Not been a happy spring for me. Lost my rooster, Cassius, to a fox in the middle of the day. She has three kits, and he died thwarting her hungry efforts. All my hens are now locked in the big pen, which they're not pleased about. They got very spoiled running about free, but they can't be out until we deal with the fox family. Let a little serama girl hatch two super-cute Cubalaya babies-one of which I'm hoping will be a pretty wheaten hen. Have a rooster in the other group with some "mutts." Kinda regrouping with the Cubalayas, and will be getting a new rooster soon.

 

[gallorojo]

I have enjoyed reading this thread, the old and the new posts. I am fortunate to have been gifted a new start in this great breed. Currently have 24 eggs under 2 white females, and am still hoping a blue and a blue wheaten will also decide to set. My bantam has taken a break from egg laying. I will not raise huge numbers this year, but we will see what hatches this year and hopefully next year I can raise more. Feels good starting again with experience as my guide. Wish you all the best in your 2016 hatching endeavors.

 

[gallorojo]

Maybe this is a silly question. What does the graded and straight mean in regards to your lines?

" Graded" refers to grading, a term for carefully controlled cross breeding. A common scenario in livestock breeding. For example, say I cross a Cubalaya with a Shamo. The resulting offspring are 50% Cubalaya, are the f1 generation, and are considered grades. I would then take the f1 grade and breed it back to a Cubalaya again, resulting in an f2 generation that is 75% Cubalaya. Then I would breed the f2 back to a Cubalaya again, giving me a 87.5% Cubalaya f3. The crossbreed animals are considered " grades". You continue crossing back to your desired purebred until you reach a variable level of near purity in the offspring. Different livestock have different standards as to what percentage of blood equals " pure". This whole process takes many years, and is referred to as " grading up"- we are steadily increasing with each generation the percentage of the desired breeds genetics. I am currently grading up my mixed herd of goats to Boer genetics by always using Boer bucks only and continually keeping the best grade does each season . My cousins are doing the same thing with cattle, grading up a mixed dairy herd to Angus. This is a far cheaper option than purchasing a whole new herd or flock.

 

[Pasturedpeeps]

What breeds would be a good choice for grading the Cubalaya?