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Test your knowledge of the Blue Hen Chicken in this short, fun quiz.

Delaware soldiers in the Revolutionary War were nicknamed “The Blue Hen’s Chickens” because of their fighting prowess.

True -- The soldiers of Capt. John Caldwell's company from Kent County, Delaware, were named after the fierce, fighting gamecocks that were the offspring of a particular hen with blue feathers.

The Blue Hen Chickens of today are known for their quiet, gentle nature.

False –- These chickens are as feisty as ever and definitely live up to the University of Delaware’s “Fightin’ Blue Hens” nickname. According to their caretakers at UD, these chickens are inclined to mix it up when a new bird joins the flock. Even when two brothers, who have grown up amicably together, are separated for a few days, they will try to fight when re-introduced.

Blue Hen Chickens occur in other colors besides blue.

True –- These chickens can occur in one of three different color phases: blue, solid black, or white splashed with black. A true blue hen is steel blue and can have red, brown, rust, black, or white in its feathers.

Blue Hen Chickens lay blue eggs.

False -- They lay a buff-colored egg. Attempts were made to breed the chickens to produce blue eggs, but were unsuccessful.

The Blue Hen Chicken is silent; it does not have a call.

False -- To hear the call, click on the button near the photo below.

Special thanks to Bob Alphin, poultry research coordinator and overseer of the University of Delaware’s breeding flock of Blue Hen Chickens, and Karen Gouge, manager, for their assistance with this quiz.

Blue Hen Mania

What do you know about
Delaware's Blue Hen Chicken?

University of Delaware athletic teams have one of the most unusual nicknames in all of college athletics -- "The Fightin' Blue Hens.” It is a name that can be traced back more than 200 years, to the American Revolution.

On December 9, 1775, the Continental Congress resolved that a military battalion be raised from the lower three counties along the Delaware River. Thus, the Delaware regiment was born--a group of eight companies representing New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.

The second company of this regiment was composed of men from Kent County under the command of Capt. John Caldwell, who happened to be an avid fan and owner of gamecocks. Although illegal now, cockfighting was a popular form of amusement at this time in history.

Capt. Caldwell’s troops are said to have staged cockfights with the male offspring of a particular hen with blue plumage. The renown of the "Blue Hen's Chickens" -- for their ferocity and success in fighting -- spread rapidly.

Likewise, Capt. Caldwell’s men became well known for their valor and fighting prowess, as part of Colonel John Haslet’s regiment, in engagements with the British at Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton. Fittingly, Col. Haslet’s regiment won the nickname “The Blue Hen’s Chickens.”

Delaware’s Revolutionary War soldiers and the fighting gamecocks for which they were named have remained important to Delaware’s folklore. On April 14, 1939, the Delaware General Assembly formally adopted the “Blue Hen Chicken” as the state’s official bird.

The University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources maintains a breeding group of Blue Hen Chickens on the campus farm.

We’ve barely “scratched the surface”
on this topic. To learn more, read
this two-page fact sheet by
Paul Sammelwitz, professor
emeritus of animal science and
agricultural chemistry at UD.
Download the fact sheet here.