What color eggs do Cubalayas lay?

Small, roundish **tinted to cream** eggs — pale and faintly warm-toned, with no blue or dark-brown pigment. Hens lay a modest 125–175 eggs a year, so the breed is kept for type and exhibition rather than egg output.

Are Cubalayas good for showing?

Yes — showing is their main purpose. They're exhibited in the APA's **All Other Standard Breeds** class in 3 varieties (Black-Breasted Red, White, Black), judged above all on the low, sweeping **'lobster tail,'** plus the pea comb, red face, and reddish-bay eyes. Black-Breasted Red is the most common on the show table.

How hard are Cubalayas to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks, though the eggs are small. Cubalaya hens are strongly broody and make dependable natural mothers if you'd rather hatch under a hen.

What is the Cubalaya's 'lobster tail'?

It's the breed's signature trait: a long, full, low-carried tail that angles downward with lavish feathering, resembling a lobster's tail or claw rather than the raised fan of most breeds. Selecting for this low tail carriage is central to breeding a good Cubalaya.

Very. The Livestock Conservancy lists the Cubalaya as **Critical** — generally fewer than 500 birds in the U.S. with only a handful of primary breeding flocks. Keeping and breeding them contributes directly to the breed's conservation.

What is the Cubalaya's temperament like?

They're notably **tame and friendly with people** — many chicks are personable from hatch — but can be **aggressive toward other birds**, so give cockerels space and watch mixed pens. They're active, alert foragers that do well on range.

Cubalaya: Cuba's Lobster-Tailed Game Breed

Verified September 2026Tinted eggs

The short version

The Cubalaya is a rare Oriental game breed developed in Cuba in the 1800s and admitted to the APA Standard of Perfection in 1939 — the only chicken breed recognized as native to Cuba. Its signature trait is a low, downward-sweeping "lobster tail" paired with a pea comb. It comes in 3 APA varieties (Black-Breasted Red, White, Black), lays small tinted/cream eggs, and matures slowly. The Livestock Conservancy lists it as Critical, so it is kept mainly as an exhibition and heritage bird.

APA class: AOSB

Egg color: Tinted–Cream

Broodiness: Frequently broody

Varieties: 3

Egg-color genetics

Cubalayas lay a small, roundish egg with a light tinted-to-cream shell — there is no blue or dark-brown pigment at work here, just the pale, faintly warm shell typical of Oriental game breeds. Shell color is not a selection priority for most Cubalaya breeders, who breed the bird for type and plumage rather than egg color.

A Cuban game breed built around its tail

The Cubalaya was developed in Cuba in the 1800s by crossing Oriental game fowl — Malay and Sumatra stock brought in from the Philippines — with ornately feathered European gamefowl. The result is an elegant, upright Oriental game bird that Cuba treated as a triple-purpose fowl for meat, eggs, and sport, and it remains the only chicken breed officially recognized as native to Cuba. It reached the United States and entered the APA Standard of Perfection in 1939, first shown that year at the International Poultry Show in Cleveland.

What sets the Cubalaya apart from every other game breed is the tail. Instead of the raised sickle fan you see on most fowl, the Cubalaya carries a long, heavily feathered tail low and sweeping down toward the ground — the so-called 'lobster tail.' Combined with the pea comb, tight game carriage, and reddish-bay eye, it makes for an unmistakable exhibition bird.

Is the Cubalaya practical to keep?

It depends what you want. As a layer the Cubalaya is modest — roughly 125–175 small, roundish tinted eggs a year — and it matures slowly, so it is not an efficient production bird. Its value is as a hardy, historic exhibition and conservation breed: tame with people, active and self-reliant on range, and a good broody mother. Because The Livestock Conservancy lists it as Critical, keeping and breeding Cubalayas is itself a conservation act.

Breeding notes

Breed for the breed's identity as a Cuban Oriental game fowl: the descent from Malay and Sumatra stock crossed with ornamental European gamefowl shows up in the upright, athletic carriage, and it should never be selected toward a soft dual-purpose look.
Select hard for the distinctive "lobster tail" — a full tail carried low and sweeping downward rather than held up. This low, lavishly-feathered tail is the trait judges and breeders prize most, so cull birds that carry the tail high or squirrel-tailed.
Keep the pea comb clean and well-formed; single combs or oversized combs are faults that point to outcrossing away from the breed's game ancestry.
Plan for slow maturation — birds can take up to roughly three years to reach full form and mature plumage, so judge young stock on frame and tail set and be patient before making final keep-or-cull decisions.
As a Critical-listed rare breed (fewer than 500 birds and a handful of primary flocks in the U.S.), prioritize genetic conservation: maintain multiple bloodlines, band and record birds, and coordinate with other breeders to avoid a narrow, inbred gene pool.
Cubalayas can be aggressive toward other birds even though they are notably tame with people; house cockerels with room to separate and watch for fighting in mixed pens.

Showing notes

Exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds (AOSB) class; enter by variety (e.g. 'Black-Breasted Red Cubalaya, large fowl'), with Black-Breasted Red the most common on the show table.
Tail type is the headline judging point: the ideal is a long, full tail carried low and angling downward in the characteristic 'lobster tail,' not the raised fan of most breeds. Type and carriage carry the bird.
Judges look for a neat pea comb, bright red face and earlobes, and reddish-bay eyes; leg and beak color follow the variety (light horn beak and pinkish-white legs on Black-Breasted Red and White; dark horn beak and slate legs on Black).
Condition matters for the flowing tail and abundant plumage — keep birds clean and unbroken in feather, and note that Cubalayas carry short, dome-like spurs rather than the long sharp spurs of most game fowl.

Hatching & incubation

No breed-specific incubation requirements — treat Cubalaya eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. Eggs run small, so expect smaller chicks.
Hens are strongly broody and make reliable natural mothers, so a broody Cubalaya is a practical alternative to an incubator if you want to hatch a small number of eggs.

Recognized varieties

Black-Breasted RedWhiteBlack

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Cubalayas lay?: Small, roundish tinted to cream eggs — pale and faintly warm-toned, with no blue or dark-brown pigment. Hens lay a modest 125–175 eggs a year, so the breed is kept for type and exhibition rather than egg output.
Are Cubalayas good for showing?: Yes — showing is their main purpose. They're exhibited in the APA's All Other Standard Breeds class in 3 varieties (Black-Breasted Red, White, Black), judged above all on the low, sweeping 'lobster tail,' plus the pea comb, red face, and reddish-bay eyes. Black-Breasted Red is the most common on the show table.
How hard are Cubalayas to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. There are no breed-specific incubation quirks, though the eggs are small. Cubalaya hens are strongly broody and make dependable natural mothers if you'd rather hatch under a hen.
What is the Cubalaya's 'lobster tail'?: It's the breed's signature trait: a long, full, low-carried tail that angles downward with lavish feathering, resembling a lobster's tail or claw rather than the raised fan of most breeds. Selecting for this low tail carriage is central to breeding a good Cubalaya.
Are Cubalayas rare?: Very. The Livestock Conservancy lists the Cubalaya as Critical — generally fewer than 500 birds in the U.S. with only a handful of primary breeding flocks. Keeping and breeding them contributes directly to the breed's conservation.
What is the Cubalaya's temperament like?: They're notably tame and friendly with people — many chicks are personable from hatch — but can be aggressive toward other birds, so give cockerels space and watch mixed pens. They're active, alert foragers that do well on range.

Sources

Cubalaya Chicken (breed overview, history & conservation status) — The Livestock Conservancy (Breed club)
Cubalaya Chickens (breed profile) — Oklahoma State University — Breeds of Livestock (Reference)
Black Breasted Red Cubalaya (egg color & temperament) — Cackle Hatchery (Hatchery)

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