I was admiring a pullet's egg.

"That is a very nice egg," I said.

"Thanks, Miss McCluck," said Casey, an Isa Brown. "It's my very first one."

After that, I lunched on some corn while the other chickens went down to the garden to "examine" the tomatoes.

Later that night, The Farmer did a head count and wrote a strange thing on some paper.

"Only Gertrude can tell us what that is," said an Isa Brown named Henny.

"That is the number 42, and next to it is minus 1," I said. "Somebody's missing!"

The next day, a rooster named Henry said, "Sorry, Ladies. Nugget is missing. I guess we can't do this morning's Crow Concert."

We were very disappointed, but I noticed Henry and Rocky, the Rhode Island Red rooster, talking quietly in the corner of the barnyard. Later that night, another rooster named Chester went missing.

"That's it!" I said.

"What?" asked Jessica.

"Get all the toughest hens you know. We are going chicken hunting tonight!" The next day, I spied on the nesting boxes all day. Finally I saw Henry snatch a clutch of eggs.

"I wonder where he's going." I said.

We followed his tracks to a hollow den on the hill. It was the home of the Fox!

"Okay, Ladies. From here on, we're mercenary hens. We have to save our roosters!"

Sneaking closer, we saw a sign saying, "Chickens Beware." "The fox has been watching us everyday?" asked a Black Star named Barbara.

"He has a perfect view of the coop from here," I stated.

"Come on, Ladies! Let's Go!" yelled Henny. We dashed into the fox's den with wings flapping. Henny led the charge with a blow to the fox's head.

"Ow! Ow! Wowzers!" yelled the fox.

Jessica clawed the fox's ear, and I quickly joined in with a wing slap to the nose. "Ow!" yelped the fox, "OK, OK. I give up. Please don't hurt me anymore. Henry paid me a bunch of eggs to take out a couple of roosters. It was all his idea!"

"Where are Chester and Nugget?" we demanded.

"Behind my den," the fox replied. Awe found them tied up behind the den.

"Oh goodness! We thought you would never come!" cried Chester and Nugget.

It turned out that Henry and Rocky had schemed together and come up with the plan. They both spent the next several months in the isolation pen.

"That's that," said Chester.

"Thanks," said Nugget.

"Another mystery solved," I said.