The poultry breed Andalusian or Blue Andalusian is a particularly old breed named for the province of Andalusia in Spain. Once referred to as the Blue Minorca, this bird was created by Spanish breeders who crossed their black birds with white sports. The naturally occurring genetic mutation of these whites along with the black breeds created a bird with an attractive slate blue plumage that was highlighted or "laced" with darker blue.

After their development, these slate blue birds displayed hybrid coloring in their offspring. The young chicks would either be black, blue, or splash in the ratio of one black, two blues, and one white. Only the blue Andalusian birds are recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) for show purposes. However, the blacks and splashes are generally kept for breeding as their offspring produced will be generally be all slate blue.

The Andalusians seen today are graceful birds, quite active, and known to be talkative. This breed will excel as a free-range bird and is not recommended for restricted cages or spaces although it will tolerate confinement. They are larger than the Leghorn breed, averaging 5 to 7 pounds with the roosters weighing more. Bantams range from 24-28 ounces in weight.

The comb is medium in size and has five distinctive points. The points on the male birds will all stand erect while only the first point stands upright and the other four falling to the side on females. The wattles and earlobes are thin, smooth, and somewhat long. The earlobes are white and almond-shaped. The beak is "horn" in color while the shanks and toes are dark slate.

The eggs produced by the Andalusian hens are white (averaging 3 to 4 eggs weekly) and becoming broody is not typical of the hens. Both males and females are robust and prolific foragers. While the Andalusian is not considered cold hardy, it is quite tolerant of the heat. The combs are susceptible to frostbite in extremely cold weather.

This highly active breed typically is not docile in nature and are mainly used for egg production or for show purposes. The standard for the Andalusian is the "Mediterranean" class. Due to the instability of creating slate blues, the Andalusian is not popular with breeders. Their noisy and standoffish behavior prevents this breed from becoming as well-liked as the more admired birds such as the Rhode Island Reds.

First recognized by the American Poultry Associate (APA) in 1874, the Andalusian poultry breed is extremely rare with their numbers continuing to drop yearly. Breeding and maintaining quality Andalusian birds is regarded as challenging, requiring a patient and dedicated breeder. The conservation status of this breed is considered "critical".

References:

STOREY'S ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO POULTRY BREEDS, by Carol Ekarius, copyright 2007.

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