- Purpose:Layer
- Eggs:White
- Egg Size:Large
- Color:Blue, Blue-Grey, Black
- Comb Type:Single Comb
Hailing from the region of Spain that also gave us the gorgeous black horses of the same name, the Andalusian Chicken is a rare, beautiful breed with unexpected ties to the history of modern genetics.
These chickens are typically quite flighty and not fond of being carried and handled. Though owners report that they are friendly enough, if you’re looking for a little cuddling from your flock, the Andalusians are not the place to go.
If allowed to free-range, which is their ideal situation, they may even try to roost in trees at night.
Some keepers keep their bird’s wings clipped to prevent losing them to the branches, but you’ll want to make sure you only trim the fully-grown feathers of mature birds.
Additionally, they don’t stand confinement well, it may drive them tofeather eating.
If you’re looking for a chicken who would be content with a small urban space, the much quieterAustralorpor gentleSilkiemay be thechoice for you!
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Characteristics
The Andalusian is an elegant sight to behold if you ever get to see one of these fairly uncommon birds. With blue-grey feathers tipped in black, and bright red combs, they are quite striking! As is typical of many Mediterranean breeds–of which the Andalusians are some of the oldest–they are great foragers and survivalists. They are also fantastic egg layers, producing chalky white eggs that match the white of their earlobes.
They may even lay eggs into the winter, which is always happy news for those looking for breakfast during those dark, winter days. Please remember, though, that most Mediterranean birdsdon’t handle cold very well. It should also be noted that while the cocks have a large, five-pointed comb that stands erect, and the hen’s comb characteristically flops over to one side like acomb-over.
What’s The Yield?
安达卢西亚母鸡的活跃天性意味着它们很少(如果有的话)坐在蛋上。对于那些寻找稳定生产的又大又白的鸡蛋的人来说,这是个好消息!一只健康的鸡通常一周能给你三个鸡蛋。虽然它们永远不会成为一只笨重的鸟,they are large enough to be used as asource of meat. You can expect cocks to reach around 7 pounds and hens to reach 5 ½ pounds.
Mendel’s Choice
Though the Blue Andalusian is the only color accepted by the American Standard, other colors exist. In fact, because the slate-blue color only results from mating a black chicken with a white or white-splashed chicken, these were the chickens Gregor Mendel used in some of his famous experiments to understand genetics and heredity. Mating two blues together will result in a mix of all three potential colorations. If you want those eggs hatched naturally, however, you’ll need to find a surrogate mother, such as aSilkieorOrpington. Andalusians hardly ever go broody.
Pictures Of Andalusian Chickens
Resources:
- Andalusian, My Pet Chicken
- Andalusian, BackYard Chickens
- Andalusian, Henderson’s Handy Dandy Chicken Chart
- Chicken Breeds, Poultry Keeper
- Andalusian Chicken, Livestock Conservancy
- Blue Andalusian Chicken, Countryside Daily
- Andalusian, Omlet
- Andalusian, Chicken Heaven On Earth
- The Field Guide to Chickens, Pam Percy