The Cubalaya chicken is a rare breed that originated in Cuba from the cross breeding of Oriental fowls with European game fowls. It has an elegant appearance with a ‘lobster tail’ or long, flowing tail feathers. It has a small pea comb and bright red wattles and earlobes. There are a variety of colours for this breed, but the most often seen are black breasted, red and wheaten.

It is a dual purpose breed and the hens lay a good number of eggs per year. They also brood well and make good mothers. Cubalaya chickens enjoy active foraging in a hot climate and require a free range set up. They are easy to tame and enjoy human contact, although they can be aggressive towards other chickens. One trait of this breed is its lack of spurs, which is thought to be beneficial as it prevents the males from injuring one another. It can take around three years for this breed to reach maturity. The males weigh around 2.7 kg and the females 1.8 kg. Bantam versions are available.