The Andalusian is a Spanish Mediterranean breed best known for its blue plumage — slate-grey feathers laced in darker grey, one of the most striking patterns in poultry. Blue does not breed true: mating two blues gives roughly half blue, a quarter black and a quarter splash, so a uniformly blue flock is a constant sorting job. Hens lay 160 to 200 large white eggs a year, rarely go broody, and are active, alert foragers that dislike close confinement. The bird takes heat well, but its oversized single comb frostbites easily, so it belongs in a warm region rather than a cold one.
Heat tolerant
Flighty
Egg colorWhite
Egg production160–200 / year
TemperamentFlighty
BroodinessRare
ClimateHeat tolerant
PurposeEggs, Show
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen5.5 lb
Rooster7 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.5 lb
Rooster1.8 lb
How to spot it
CombSingle
Large single comb, upright in roosters and folding in hens
Earlobes
White
Plumage
Slate blue with each feather distinctly laced in darker grey-black
Look for
Crisp dark lacing on a blue ground; unlaced or uneven birds are the black and splash siblings
Single
