Andalusian chicken
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|
| Country of origin | Spain |
|---|---|
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Egg color | white |
| Comb type | single |
| Classification | |
| APA | Mediterranean |
| ABA | single comb and clean legged |
| EE | yes |
| PCGB | rare soft feather: light |
The Andalusian or Blue Andalusian, Spanish: Andaluza Azul, is a breed of domestic chicken indigenous to the autonomous community of Andalusia in south-west Spain. It is distributed through much of the countryside of Córdoba and Seville, and is concentrated particularly in the area of Utrera, which is considered the heartland of the breed. In 2009 the population was estimated at 10,000 birds.
A very different type of Andalusian, more intensely blue and with blue-laced plumage, was created in England from birds imported from Andalusia through selective breeding and cross-breeding with birds of other breeds.
There is little information on the early history of the Andalusian. Blue chickens from Andalusia were imported to England no later than 1851. The creation of the "international" type of Andalusian, with blue-laced plumage, is attributed to the English, whether in Andalusia or in Britain. Two breeders in particular are thought to have started this process, which took many years: one named Coles, from Fareham, Hampshire, and a certain John Taylor of Shepherd's Bush, in west London. Another claimant was Augusta Legge who was the countess of Dartmouth. Andalusians were shown at Baker Street, London, in January 1853; they were not included in the original Standard of Excellence in 1865.
Andalusians reached the United States in about 1850–55, and were included in the first edition of the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874. The breed arrived in South America in 1870, and was first shown in Germany in the same year. A bantam was created in the 1880s.
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