UDMessenger

Volume 12, Number 2, 2003


Connections to the Colleges

Yes, Virginia there really is a Blue Hen
(and a YoUDee)

First-time visitors to Delaware often scratch their heads at the mention of the Fightin' Blue Hens, the University's mascot, and ask if Delaware Blue Hens truly exist. "Absolutely," says Bob Alphin, and he should know. The College's poultry research coordinator, he oversees the University's flock of Blue Hens, which are used for research and teaching. Daily care of the flock is the responsibility of Karen Gouge.

So, is the Blue Hen really blue? Does the UD flock spend its days scuffling and brawling on the Newark Farm, as the name would imply? Do the males get shipped off somewhere (it's a flock of hens, after all)?

Yes, to the first two questions. No, to the third.

A true Blue Hen is steel blue, not the electric blue of YoUDee, and can have accents of red, brown, rust, black or white in its feathers. The UD flock does live up to the "Fightin' Blue Hens" name. It's a feisty bunch and especially inclined to mix it up when a new bird is introduced to the flock, Alphin says. And, though they're called hens, there are plenty of males in the flock, too.

The Blue Hen holds a special place in state history. The current UD flock is descended from a modern strain that was created by H.S. Hallock du Pont in the 1960s. But, the original "Blue Hen Chickens," which aren't genetically related to today's flock, were fighting gamecocks that became famous during the Revolutionary War. When a company of Delaware soldiers developed a reputation for a strong fighting spirit, they became known as "Blue Hen's Chickens."

The tough blue bird has been a part of the UD identity since at least 1911, when the name first appeared on a yearbook. These days, "Blue Hen" is synonymous with the University.