The Hartford Yard Goats, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the Double-A Eastern League, will play a game as the Hartford Thunder Chickens in 2025. The temporary logo centers around a turkey that is either scared of thunder or actively being struck by lightning.
Per the team, “Thunder Chicken” serves as a nickname for a pair of birds found in the state of Connecticut. First, the state is home to a population of roughly 35,000 wild turkeys, called “Thunder Chicken” because of the (thunderously) loud gobbling sound they make. It’s also a nickname for the ruffed grouse, which makes (thunderously) loud noises during courtship displays.
The Yard Goats are not the first Minor League Baseball team to adopt the nickname Thunder Chickens. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals in the Texas League, have played “What Might Have Been” games as the Thunder Chickens, which was the runner-up in their 2008 name-the-team contest. The name was a wink and a nod to chicken purveyor Tyson Foods, headquartered in the team’s hometown of Springdale, Arkansas.
The Yard Goats have not announced a date for the Thunder Chickens game. Their season opens April 4 at Dunkin’ Park against the Somerset Patriots.
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