The Secret Chicken Society by Judy Cox Read Free Book Online Page A

job.”
    â€œDid you hear him crow this morning? I don’t know how Mom and Dad missed it. For a little guy, he sure is loud.” Daniel chewed his lower lip.
    â€œWhat will the police do if they find out about Peepers?” asked Emmy from the foot of the tree. “Will they put him in jail?”
    â€œWorse,” said Kelsey.
    â€œMuch worse,” groaned Daniel.
    â€œWhat, then?” yelled Emmy impatiently.
    Daniel stared at her solemnly. “They’ll kill him,” he said.
    â€œKill Peepers? No!” yelled Emmy.
    â€œAnd eat him,” added Kelsey.
    â€œThat’s awful!” Emmy started to cry. “Poor Peepers!”
    â€œWe have to keep him from crowing!” said Daniel. “We just have to!”
    All afternoon Daniel looked in books and on the Internet. He reported back to the SCS.
    â€œRoosters will crow any time of the day,” he told Kelsey and Emmy. (Tyler was at the mall.) “But they mostly crow at dawn.”
    Kelsey nodded. “But we tried everything. What else can we do?”
    â€œI have an idea,” said Daniel. “If we can keep the coop dark, he won’t crow. But to be extra sure, we can insulate it. So sounds won’t get out.”
    With Tyler’s help, the Secret Chicken Society insulated the Hen Hotel. They used empty cardboard egg cartons to muffle sound. They used black plastic trash bags to keep out the light. Fortunately, Mom was at work. When Dad was working on his website, he didn’t notice what went on around him.
    At dusk Peepers herded his hens into the chicken coop to roost. Then he followed them up the ramp and went inside. Daniel fastened the door behind them.
    â€œThey want to be in the coop at night,” Daniel told his sisters. “They feel safe inside. That’s why birds roost in trees. So foxes and coyotes and raccoons don’t get them.”
    The insulation seemed to work. If Peepers crowed at dawn, no one in the house could hear it. Daniel didn’t think the neighbors could, either.
    After breakfast Daniel fed and watered all his pets and let the hens out to forage. They seemed happy with their newly redecorated quarters. At any rate, they didn’t complain.
    â€œEverything’s under control,” Daniel told Kelsey and Emmy at the next SCS meeting a few days later. “We’ve got it licked.”
    But his conscience prickled. Mom and Dad were still in the dark (so to speak) about Peepers being a rooster. Mom and Dad trusted the hens to Daniel’s care. Even though he hadn’t told a lie, it didn’t feel right to keep a secret from them.

Chapter 11
JAILBIRD

    One day about two weeks later the weather turned hot. Daniel checked his pets. Jasper drank noisily from his bottle. Speedy panted in his cage. Mr. Feathers fluffed out his feathers and closed his eyes. The guppies were the only ones staying cool. They swam comfortably around in their tank, looking happy.
    The SCS members sat in the tree house—at least Daniel and Kelsey did. Emmy sat on the grass. Tyler was at a ball game. Not a breeze stirred the leaves on the trees. Bees buzzed in the garden. The chickens rested in the shade, not making much noise.
    â€œIt’s too hot to do anything,” said Kelsey, fanning herself.
    â€œToo hot to think,” said Daniel. He rubbed the sweat off his forehead with his arm.
    â€œToo hot to pink,” said Emmy. She peeled the petals off a daisy and flung them into the air.
    â€œToo hot to stink,” said Daniel, and they all laughed.
    â€œCan we have ice pops?” Emmy called to Dad. He was working on his laptop on the back porch. He nodded.
    â€œBring me an orange one,” he said.
    â€œCan we run through the sprinkler?” asked Kelsey.
    â€œSure,” said Dad. “But set it up in the front yard. That grass could use some water.”
    They went out the side gate to the front yard, dragging the hose and sprinkler. Daniel