How Many Eggs Does a Blue Andalusian Lay Per Year?
A Blue Andalusian hen lays about 165 large white eggs per year — near the Conservancy chart's ~160. Estimates by management and stock, plus a flock formula.
A Blue Andalusian hen lays about 165 large chalk-white eggs per year. The Livestock Conservancy's breed comparison chart rates the breed Very Good at about 160, and the breed page gives 160 to 200 — so 165 sits at the institutional floor, not in the middle of a wide band. The meaningful spread on this breed runs upward with free range and good stock, not downward: no source publishes a figure below 160. She dislikes confinement — the Conservancy calls her predisposed to feather eating when kept close; the chart says she excels free-range, struggles penned. Blue × blue matings produce roughly 50% blue, 25% black, 25% splash or white chicks; only blue is APA-showable, and colour does not change the egg count. She is almost never broody — Conservancy says rarely, the chart lists Non-Setters, RBST says seldom if ever — so plan on an incubator. Standard weights run about 5.5 lb hen and 7 lb rooster.
Want the full picture on this breed? See our Andalusian (Blue) breed profile — temperament, care needs, and climate fit.
Use the egg production calculator to model your specific flock.
Production ranges
| Scenario | Annual eggs | Avg / week | Avg / day | When this happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | ~160 | ~3.1 | ~0.44 | Conservancy chart planning figure / breed-page floor — good stock, Year 1, free range |
| Normal | ~165 | ~3.2 | ~0.45 | Site planning figure (breeds.json), Year 1 to 2, free range or large run, layer feed |
| High | ~200 | ~3.8 | ~0.55 | Top of the Conservancy breed-page band, Year 1, well managed, room to forage |
The Normal row is the most realistic starting point for planning. It assumes a healthy first or second year hen with space to range, on layer feed. About three eggs a week across the year is the honest planning figure — not the daily egg a production hybrid will give you, and not the Leghorn-class total the Mediterranean label sometimes implies.
This band is narrow, and that is the finding. Low (~160) and Normal (~165) nearly coincide because the Conservancy chart’s planning figure (“Very Good; ~160”) and the breed page’s floor (160) sit at the same point as our planning number. The meaningful spread runs upward — from 165 toward 200 with good stock and free range — not downward. No source we could open publishes an annual figure below 160 for this breed. Confinement and colour-first exhibition stock can land a bird below the table; we did not invent a Low for that. Those failure modes are named under What changes the number, with their sources, without a fake number.
What you actually get when you order chicks
Blue Andalusian colour does not breed true. Unlike a hybrid such as the Sapphire Gem — which also does not breed true — this is an APA-recognized heritage breed whose show colour still follows incomplete dominance. That decides what arrives in the box and what hatches in the incubator.
When two Blue Andalusians are mated, about 50% of chicks are blue, 25% black, and 25% white or splash (white with blue or black markings). The Livestock Conservancy, Skinner’s Chicken Breeds and Varieties (A2880), Oklahoma State, and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust all describe that incomplete-dominance split. Only the blue bird is the APA show colour; McMurray notes that only Blue Andalusians can be exhibited in APA shows. Hatcheries may ship hatchery’s choice of colouring — Meyer’s breed spotlight says so plainly — so an order labelled Andalusian can include black or splash chicks as well as blue. Breeders deliberately use black offspring to hold and repair colour in the breeding pen; the Conservancy says there is a tendency for colour to run too light across generations, and blacks are the tool that corrects it.
None of this changes the egg count we plan on. No source reports an annual production difference between blue, black, and splash birds. A secondary note that blue-bred white hens can lay larger eggs is about egg size, not eggs per year — the same test that kept us from inventing variety splits on Light Sussex and Hamburg. Plan the basket on the breed; plan the flock composition on the genetics.
By year, month, week, and day
| Time period | Low (~160/yr) | Normal (~165/yr) | High (~200/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per year | 160 | 165 | 200 |
| Per month (average) | ~13.3 | ~13.8 | ~16.7 |
| Per week (average) | ~3.1 | ~3.2 | ~3.8 |
| Per day (average) | ~0.44 | ~0.45 | ~0.55 |
| Dozens per year | ~13.3 | ~13.8 | ~16.7 |
The Low and Normal per-week columns look almost the same because the underlying annual figures are five eggs apart. That is the narrow band showing up in the arithmetic, not a table error. A hen lays one egg every 24 to 26 hours at full production and skips days, so the daily average never reaches 1.0. For a Blue Andalusian the yearly average is pulled down mainly by confinement stress and by stock selected for colour rather than lay — not by broody spells. Counting on roughly three eggs a week per hen across the whole year is a sound planning rule.
The formula
Scale to any flock size:
Weekly eggs = Number of hens × 3.5 × Age Factor × Season Factor
The baseline of 3.5 is a Blue Andalusian’s weekly output at peak — chosen so the season-weighted year matches Normal rather than overshooting it. Adjust it down with the factors below as the flock ages and the seasons change.
| Factor | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Year 1 (peak) | ×1.00 |
| Year 2 | ×0.84 |
| Year 3 | ×0.66 |
| Year 4 | ×0.50 |
| Year 5 | ×0.38 |
| Spring / Summer | ×1.00 |
| Fall (Sept to Oct) | ×0.90 |
| Winter, no supplemental light | ×0.75 |
| Winter, 16-hr light schedule | ×0.95 |
Example: 6 hens × 3.5 × 0.84 (Year 2) × 0.75 (winter, no light) = ~13 eggs per week.
Why 3.5 reconciles with Normal. Run a constant peak baseline through a Year-1 season mix — about six months at ×1.00, two fall months at ×0.90, and four winter months at ×0.75 with no supplemental light — and you get roughly 46.8 peak-equivalent weeks. 3.5 × 46.8 ≈ 164, which rounds to the Normal figure of ~165. A baseline of 4 would imply about 187 for the year, above Normal with no broodiness on this breed to absorb the gap. The age and season multipliers above are our standard curve, applied across the site rather than measured on Andalusians specifically. Use the egg production calculator to model your flock by age and season.
How production drops year over year
Production slides down gradually rather than stopping at a set age. The table applies the age factors to the Normal annual figure of ~165 eggs.
| Year | Per hen / year | Per hen / week | 6-bird flock / year | 6-bird flock / week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (peak) | ~165 | ~3.2 | ~990 | ~19 |
| Year 2 | ~139 | ~2.7 | ~832 | ~16 |
| Year 3 | ~109 | ~2.1 | ~653 | ~13 |
| Year 4 | ~83 | ~1.6 | ~495 | ~10 |
| Year 5 | ~63 | ~1.2 | ~376 | ~7 |
Peak productive life on this page is two to three years — that is the window the stats block means, not lifespan. The Conservancy does not claim the multi-year persistence gift it gives Hamburgs; plan on the ordinary taper. A common approach is adding a young pullet or two every other year, so the flock keeps producing while the older birds slow down.
Month by month (first-year hen)
Andalusians are excellent winter layers according to the Livestock Conservancy, so the short-day dip is shallower than a heat-preferring Mediterranean stereotype would suggest. They almost never brood, so spring is not carved up by sitting spells. The larger swing is whether they have space — a confined Andalusian is a stressed Andalusian.
| Month | Natural light only | With 16-hr coop lighting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12 | 15 | Winter layer; watch the single comb |
| February | 13 | 15 | Days lengthening |
| March | 15 | 16 | Spring climb |
| April | 16 | 16 | Near peak |
| May | 17 | 17 | Peak month |
| June | 16 | 16 | Strong; heat usually suits the breed |
| July | 15 | 15 | Shade and water still matter |
| August | 15 | 15 | Holds |
| September | 14 | 15 | Daylight shortening |
| October | 12 | 14 | Molt and shorter days |
| November | 11 | 14 | Holds better than most light breeds |
| December | 9 | 14 | Low point without light; still a winter layer |
The natural-light column sums to the Normal figure of 165; adding a 16-hour schedule takes it to roughly 182. That is a real winter lift, but smaller than the swing from locking birds in a tight pen. If you do add light, start in early September before the days shorten, and aim for 14 to 16 total hours rather than leaving a bulb on overnight.
What changes the number
The single biggest lever on a Blue Andalusian’s annual total is whether she has room to behave like a Mediterranean forager, followed by whether her line was bred for colour or for eggs, then daylight and age. Broodiness barely registers. Colour morph — blue, black, or splash — does not change the egg count we plan on.
Confinement — the failure mode with a source
The Conservancy is direct: Andalusians do not stand confinement well and are predisposed to feather eating when kept close. The comparison chart adds that they typically are not good in confinement and excel in free-range conditions. That is the clearest path to a bird that finishes below the 160 floor — and we still do not invent a Low number for it. Give a large run or supervised free range, high or covered fencing (they fly), and enough space that boredom does not turn into picking. Our breed data marks them not beginner-friendly; the Conservancy chart still rates the breed Novice/Intermediate. Name that tension: fine for a keeper who wants an active free-range white-egg layer and has the fencing to match, poor for a small-pen first flock.
Colour-first exhibition stock
Skinner and Oklahoma State both frame the breed as an ornamental fowl with only “fairly good” egg-production potential. Skinner adds that Andalusians are beautiful when good, but the percentage of really good ones runs low in many flocks because of colour segregation — so they are not widely bred and never in large numbers. A line selected for perfect blue lacing is not the same bird as a line kept for the basket. That selection pressure can land you below the table without any management failure on your part.
Climate — hot preference, winter eggs, frostbite risk
The Conservancy comparison chart says best in hot to moderate climates. The breed page says the breed’s rugged nature makes it hardy even in cold climates, but it was developed in Spain and is better suited to places that are warm most of the year. Both can be true: excellent winter layers with a large single comb that still needs frostbite care. McMurray flags comb and wattle frostbite in hard cold and recommends protection on extreme snaps. Plan for heat as the breed’s home climate, keep winter eggs in the picture, and protect the comb.
Non-broody — plan to incubate
The Conservancy says hens are rarely broody; the chart lists Non-Setters; Skinner and OSU say they rarely go broody; RBST says they seldom if ever sit. If you want chicks, use an incubator or a broody of another breed. The upside for egg keepers is that sitting spells almost never remove weeks from the laying year.
Age at first lay — no institutional figure
No extension service, Conservancy page, or comparison chart publishes an age at first egg for Andalusians. The Conservancy only says chicks feather and mature quickly, with males often crowing at about seven weeks — early maturity, not a first-egg date. Content-farm “5 to 6 months” figures are not used here. Our planning window of about 20 to 22 weeks (~5 months) is ours, not measured on this breed: an early-Mediterranean guess consistent with that quick maturity, labelled so you can discount it.
Egg colour and size
Eggs are chalk-white and large. The Conservancy breed page says medium to large; the comparison chart says Large. Weights are clean across the Conservancy, Skinner, and McMurray: about 5.5 lb hen and 7 lb rooster.
Conservation status
The breed sits at Watch on the Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List (breed page, comparison chart, and 2025 CPL). McMurray’s breed spotlight blog still says Threatened — that is outdated, the same lag seen on New Hampshire Red after CPL moves.
History, a traditional cross, and figures that are not our High
Andalusians were developed in Spain; Leonard Barber imported birds to England from Xeres de la Frontera in 1846–47; they were first exhibited at the Baker Street Show in London in January 1853; they arrived in America between about 1850 and 1855; and the Blue Andalusian was recognised in the APA Standard of Perfection in 1874. English breeders sharpened the laced blue that defines the modern show bird. The Conservancy notes a traditional cross — an Andalusian male over Langshan females — that produces a hardy, early-maturing brown-egg layer. Historical records of 1890s birds laying up to 230 eggs at about 30 oz per dozen belong in that history, not in our High row — past-tense exhibition-era reports, the same call made on Hamburg’s 200–250.
How Blue Andalusians compare
First-year production under normal backyard conditions. Figures are the ones used across this site’s breed profiles.
| Breed | Annual eggs | Egg color | Type | Vs Blue Andalusian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusian (Blue) | 165 | White, large | Light Mediterranean | Baseline |
| Cochin | 160 | Brown, medium | Heavy heritage | Slightly lower |
| Hamburg | 200 | White, medium | Light heritage layer | Higher |
| Leghorn (White) | 290 | White, large | Light commercial | Higher |
| Cream Legbar | 200 | Blue, medium | Light auto-sexing | Higher |
| Light Sussex | 240 | Brown, large | Dual-purpose heritage | Higher |
| Buff Orpington | 220 | Brown, large | Heritage | Higher |
The honest verdict: a Blue Andalusian is a light Mediterranean white-egg layer at about 165 a year — a few eggs above a Cochin, well below a White Leghorn, below a Hamburg, and not a beginner lap bird. What she adds is chalk-white eggs through winter, free-range foraging, and a Watch conservation status worth supporting — plus the genetics lesson that half the hatch will not be blue. For maximum eggs per square foot in a small pen, look at a Leghorn or a hybrid instead. For a keeper with space, secure fencing, and patience for an active bird that does not breed true, she earns her keep.
Use the breed selector quiz to compare breeds against your goals and setup. Andalusian is not among the quiz’s scored breeds; use the breed profile and this guide directly.
Frequently asked questions
How many eggs does a Blue Andalusian lay per year?
About 165 large chalk-white eggs. The Conservancy comparison chart rates the breed Very Good at about 160; the breed page gives 160 to 200. Our Normal sits at that institutional floor. No source we use publishes below 160.
How many eggs does a Blue Andalusian lay per week?
Three to four large white eggs a week at peak, which works out to about three a week averaged across a full year once winter and molt are counted.
When do Blue Andalusians start laying eggs?
No institutional source publishes a first-egg age. The Conservancy only notes early maturity (cockerels often crow around seven weeks). Our planning window of about 20 to 22 weeks is ours, not a published figure for this breed.
Do Blue Andalusians go broody?
Almost never. The Conservancy says rarely broody; the chart lists Non-Setters; Skinner, OSU, and RBST agree. Plan on an incubator or another breed if you want chicks.
Will my Andalusian chicks all be blue?
No. Blue × blue yields roughly 50% blue, 25% black, and 25% splash or white. Only blue is the APA show colour; some hatcheries ship hatchery’s choice of colouring. Colour morph does not change the annual egg count we plan on.
How many eggs will 6 Blue Andalusian hens lay per year?
Roughly 990 in a typical first year, with a realistic spread of about 960 to 1,200 depending on space, stock, and winter light. Run your own numbers with the egg production calculator.
Do Blue Andalusians lay eggs in winter?
Yes. The Conservancy calls them excellent winter egg producers. Protect the large single comb from frostbite in hard cold.
What color and size are Blue Andalusian eggs?
Chalk-white and large. The Conservancy chart says Large; the breed page says medium to large.
Are Blue Andalusians good for beginners?
Usually not as a first pet breed in a small pen. Our breed data marks them not beginner-friendly; they dislike confinement and do not breed true for colour. The Conservancy chart still rates them Novice/Intermediate — fine for a keeper with space and fencing who wants an active white-egg layer.
Sources
The Livestock Conservancy is the primary institutional source for Andalusian egg figures, and it publishes two documents with different granularities — both are cited below. Cooperative extension covers the breed without an annual count. UK sources sit inside the same 160–200 band. Hatchery pages are ranked below those and labelled as commercial guidance. Each source is named for the specific claim it supports.
- Egg range, winter laying, non-broody, weights, genetics, confinement, climate, history, APA recognition, conservation status, Langshan cross — breed page: The Livestock Conservancy — Andalusian Chicken. Source of the 160 to 200 medium/large chalk-white eggs figure, excellent winter production, rarely broody, 7 lb males / 5.5 lb hens, the blue×blue Mendelian split, dislike of confinement and predisposition to feather eating, warm-climate preference with cold hardiness, APA recognition in 1874, Watch status, the Andalusian×Langshan cross, and the English import history (Barber 1846–47, Baker Street Show 1853, America 1850–55).
- Planning figure ~160, Large egg size, hot-to-moderate climate, Non-Setters, confinement note — comparison chart: The Livestock Conservancy — Heritage Chicken Breed Comparison Chart (2026). Rates Andalusian Rate of Lay “Very Good; ~160,” Egg Size Large, climate “Best in hot to moderate climates,” Brooding Non-Setters, temperament “Active, yet gentle,” Novice/Intermediate, Watch, and notes free-range excellence with poor confinement tolerance and difficult blue colour — figures unchanged from the 2023 edition, confirmed by direct comparison. This is the document that sets Low; the breed page supplies the High.
- Extension and academic coverage — no annual egg figure: UW–Madison Extension — Chicken Breeds and Varieties (A2880), John L. Skinner (also circulated as a PDF) lists Blue as the variety, standard weights of 7 lb cock and 5½ lb hen, white eggshells, use as “an ornamental fowl with fairly good egg-production potential,” and the full blue-genetics paragraph — no annual count. Oklahoma State University — Andalusian Chickens repeats the Skinner material, lists Black, Splash, and Blue among varieties, and still gives no production number.
- UK institutional and keeper figures — inside the Conservancy band: Rare Breeds Survival Trust — Andalusian (full HTML confirmed via browser user-agent) gives about 160 large white eggs a year, winter laying, seldom if ever broody, Priority status, and the incomplete-dominance colour split with show birds blue. PoultryKeeper — Andalusian Chickens (full HTML confirmed via browser user-agent) states Eggs: 160–200 large white eggs per year and notes black/splash wastage when breeding for blue.
- Hatchery and commercial guidance — not research: Murray McMurray Hatchery Blog — Breed Spotlight: Andalusian gives about 200 large white eggs, rarely broody, heat hardiness with comb frostbite risk in hard cold, APA show colour blue only, and the Mendelian hatch split — and incorrectly calls the CPL status Threatened (the 2025 CPL lists Watch). Meyer Hatchery Blog — Breed Spotlight: Blue Andalusian (full HTML confirmed via browser user-agent with Referer; bare fetch returns a challenge page) states that orders receive the hatchery’s choice of coloring and that keepers can expect 4–6 white or slightly tinted eggs weekly; treated as commercial colour-shipping guidance, not as our High.
- Not available for this breed (named so they are not silently omitted): Cackle Hatchery had no reachable Andalusian product page in this research pass (404 / blocked). Lafeber has no Andalusian breed page. Mile Four has no Andalusian breed guide.
- Ours, not published: the Low / Normal / High anchoring choices, the month-by-month split, the age and season multipliers, and the ~20–22 week first-lay planning window. The Low of 160 is the Conservancy chart planning figure and breed-page floor — not an invented below-band failure row. The Normal of 165 matches our breed data and sits at that institutional floor. The High of 200 is the breed-page ceiling; we rejected historical 1890s reports of up to 230 and did not treat McMurray’s blog ~200 as a second independent source for the High. The multipliers are our standard site-wide curve. First lay is labelled ours because no institutional source publishes an age at first egg for this breed.
Two classes of source were checked and deliberately not used: aggregator pages that restate Conservancy ranges without primary data, and Hoover’s Hatchery 265 (reached only via a secondary aggregator), which sits above every institutional ceiling. For health concerns about your flock, consult a licensed poultry veterinarian.
Last reviewed August 2026.