The following article appeared in the magazine Tribuna Avicola, official publication of the Asociacion Nacional de Avicultura (National Poultry Association), July 1944 issue.
Las Cubalayas A Genuine Cuban Breed
by Carlos F. Caballe, translated by Dr. Braulio Saenz, January 23, 1968
Asiatic origins: Different original varieties. Crossbreeding with European fowl: formation of the Cuban Malays by a long process of selection, independent of any scientific control.
I have lived long and I do not want to end my days without previously offering to the new generations the beautiful traditions of the Asiatic fowl called Malayas, that today under the name of Cubalayas are the pride of our country on account of the great success achieved in the Congress and International Poultry Exhibition celebrated in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1939.
Around the middle of last century, the Spaniards brought to Havana several varieties of Asiatic game fowl, for fighting, armed with sharp steel spurs, and which originated in the Philippine Islands. Among the many varieties that came, I remember well the following:
Manilos de Regla (Manilians from Regla): It was a large fowl of great vitality, short tail, directed downwards like a shrimp tail and with short and strong curving beak, which they used with great effectiveness in fights.
Malayos pavos (Peacombed Malays): Of smaller size than the previous one, with strong legs, flat in front, triangular or rudimentary spurs (rosary spurs), with square heads (resembling a snake head), deep set and fierce eyes, bird of prey beak, rudimentary wattles, and ear lobes and a marked expression of courage, viciousness and aggression, short and strong wings, very pronounced at the shoulder, and, above all, they had a very beautiful long tail placed approximately at an angle of 45 degrees downwards, enhanced by numerous sickles that trailed with singular elegance, like a royal mantle.
Around 1889, my good friend and pharmacist from Guanabacoa, Mr. Domingo Montane, a great fancier of standard bred fowl, had, without doubt, the best lot of malayos pavos that I have seen. The beautiful coloring of these Malays was very varied, because besides the different shades of black breasted reds, among which a so called indio cenizo (ash color breasted red) (a rare combination of red and gray, extinct today) was very notorious, he had the very beautiful giros de plata (silver duck-wing), a fantastic contrast between brilliant silver and black velvety background; he also had others that were called giros de oro o giros carey (golden duck-wing), in which the combination was between gold and black (from the latter type there are still some individuals).
At that time there was great interest in Asiatic birds in Cuba. I remember that around 1893 I bought from Mr. Enrique Alcalde a pea combed Malay pullet, of extraordinary beauty, ash colored with legs, beak and eyes ebony black. It was a new coloring that he had imported from Florida and which most certainly had come from Asia, because its outer shape was identical to that of the pea combed Malays that we were breeding with such enthusiasm.
Malayos enanos o bulldogs, also called malayos patatos (Bantam Malays or bulldogs): The description of this variety coincided almost completely with the variety pea combed Malays, but they were of small size with lower thighs and shanks extremely short, and disproportionably large heads. They were bred by Mr. Gustavo Mola and others around 1892 and it was finally crossed and re-crossed until it disappeared.
Another variety of Asiatic origin whose name I fail to remember, were birds with long necks and legs, compact and narrow body, with simple tail that was long and narrow and directed downwards; even though they were very hardy and healthy they did not draw a lot of attention because since the early times the Cuban and Spanish breeders showed a marked preference for animals of wide and profusely feathered tails.*
With the passing of time and through the historical hardships and wars of independence of the Cuban people, these original types were crossed among themselves and in turn re-crossed with other birds of European origin, **but in the latter crosses it was always observed that the external shape of the Asiatic birds behaved as a dominant Mendelian character, and in the course of time the breeders, on account of the traditions rooted in the Cuban people, preferred and selected the animals of wide and extended tails, curving beak, sunken and fierce eyes, and courageous and decide expression, and in such a way, independently from any scientific control, a typical variety, a Cuban bird was originated.
By initiative of Col. Leandro de la Torriente and of an enthusiastic group of poultry breeders, that represented the most modern tendencies in this subject, and with the praiseworthy purpose of fixing the characteristics of form and color, the National Poultry Association approved, in 1935, the Standard of Perfection of the Cubalaya Breed, this last name being adopted to denominate the ancient Asiatic birds called malayas cola de camaron (shrimp tail Malays) that had been in Cuba for many years and whose name, Cubalayas was chosen in honor of the Republic of Cuba, that had patronized and refined them.
The inflexible adoption of three definite colors (white, black, and red, or black breasted red) in the New Standard of Perfection of the Cubalaya Breed, that up to then had been called simply malayas, malayas pavas o malayas cola de camaron (Malays, Peacombed Malays, or Shrimp tail Malays), confused the old time breeders greatly as they had struggled for many years in order to refine and maintain at all costs the Asiatic type of these birds, eliminating the undesirable characteristics introduced by unfortunate cross-breeding with animals of European origin at the end of last century and the beginning of this one, and that periodically produces in the flocks a certain tendency towards weak birds with long beak and tail raised above the horizontal.
Many of the old time breeders, among them Messrs, Ponce de Leon, Aldabon, Waldo Diaz, Dr. Francisco Cartaya and others, disagreed with the requirements of the Standard of Perfection, concerning the coloring of the birds and also regarding their shape, that the Standard had changed, recommending the single spur instead of the one or several rudimentary spurs or the absolute lack of them, that was also called espuela de rosario (rosary spur), which was the tradition maintained by the breeders since the time of the Colony, and which absence of spurs had been achieved by a long process of natural selection of these birds in freedom, because their aggressive and fierce character of game fowl that attack their own young and in many occasions the females in their flocks, would have made their reproduction impossible in their original environment if they would have been endowed by Nature with powerful and sharp spurs, instead of having them small, triangular, of calcareous type and crooked inwards and in many cases lacking altogether, for which reason they were armed with steel spurs in the cock fights, when these birds were brought to Cuba in the middle of last century.
Nevertheless, other breeders accepted the new rules imposed by the Standard of Perfection of the Cubalaya Breed and tried to fix the color, maintaining the classical type as far as it was possible. Among these breeders we can name Mr. Jorge de la Torre, the late Mr. Juan Diaz, Mr. Rafael Ordonez, owner of the Milagros Poultry Farm, Dr. Sergio Giquel, Dr. Carlos Diaz Arguelles, Dr. Damaso Pasadolos and others.
The adoption of this Standard of Perfection, that is nothing but a series of rules to follow in the selection of birds of this breed, brought about immediately the great international success in poultry matters that our country achieved in the Congress and International Poultry Exhibition that took place in the 7th World Poultry Exhibition at Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. in 1939, which is the outstanding event in contemporary poultry breeding because in 11 days this exhibition was visited by more than 850,000 people and delegations from all nations of the world were present. In this great exhibition Cuba was, in fact, the only Spanish speaking nation that exhibited its own original varieties, using for this purpose our famous Cubalayas.
Besides the three varieties officially accepted and appearing in the International Standard of Perfection with great honor for our country, these existed in Cuba other very beautiful varieties, that could perhaps be re-established, with long and patient work, which is yet to be done; I am referring to the famous cenizos (ash colored birds), indios cenizis (ash-color breasted reds), giros de plata (silver duck-wings) and perhaps some other as the giro carey (golden duck-wings), etc. These varieties are almost extinct and their breeding should be encouraged by the National Poultry Ass. by offering prizes first of all for the so called fancy birds under which denomination such colorings of extraordinary beauty, that were the amazement of everyone that saw them could begin to appear anew.
Finally, we express our desire that the old time fancy that the Cubans have had for these very beautiful birds that are the pride of our Nation and the most genuine symbol of our citizenship, should never diminish.
Translators notes:
The description of this variety seems to agree with the type of the Asiatic Malay breed related in the American Standard of Perfection.
Most probably Spanish and Old English Games.
Provided by Dr Charles Everett
