Hello, my name is Gertrude McCluck and I'm the Chicken In Charge (C.I.C.) of the Gerny Acres Farm. I live in a chicken coop with a few other chickens. I, being the C.I.C., would show you around a bit, but I happen to be away from home for a while.

Yep, I'm on vacation. Okay, I'm at another farm in the neighborhood cracking a case about odd colored eggs. This case is at Hilly Meadows Ranch, a few farms down from mine. Speaking of my case, let's investigate the coop.

I walked into the coop and saw at least a dozen bantams squawking and running throughout it. I was a little taken aback at first as I watched the bantams practically uproot the coop. I finally was able to calm the cock down long enough for him to let out a piercing crow and get everyone's attention.

"Hi everyone," I said, " I'm Gertrude, and may I ask what the problem is here?"

One of the hens I recognized as a Silver Sebright bantam walked up to me and clucked frantically, "We're looking for Spice, a light brown Dutch bantam, she's been missing for about an hour! Oh, and by the way, my name is Lacey."

I decided to join the search and I was the one to find Spice in the darkest nesting box, crying to herself. I took her under my wing and told her that she better get to the roost for the night.

After she left the nest I searched the nest and found red face paint hidden in the straw. Hmmmm...face paint. My birdbrain didn't see any conclusions, so I went to the roost and thought for awhile. While I did I looked at Spice's head and saw she had a perfect bright red comb, wattles, and earlobes, which were shaped perfectly. And then the C.I.C. was fast asleep.

I woke up in the morning feeling like I'd missed something. At that moment I glanced up at Lacey, there was a red smudge on her hackles. It was on the side of her that Spice had slept on. Ding! went my birdbrain. I knew why it was there!

I went up to Spice and asked her to come outside with me.

"Spice, have you been using face paint?" I asked casually "Because your earlobes are the wrong color for your breed."

"Oh Gertrude, don't tell anyone," she pleaded, " I don't know what's wrong with me. I just started laying eggs and they're a cream color! Look at my earlobes without face paint." Then she rubbed the red face paint off on one earlobe, to reveal a pearly white color.

" See," Spice squawked, "they're white. That means I should lay white eggs."

Finally she broke down and began to cry.

I told her that all Dutch bantams lay cream eggs in spite of their white earlobes. Then I headed for home. What an interesting vacation!