Random Puzzles 

Workings

Hint
Think about the number of legs.

Answer
There are 7 chickens, 28 mice and 280 ants.

Reasoning
For every chicken (2 legs) we have 4 mice (16 legs) and 40 ants (240 legs) = 258 legs.

So we can divide the total number of legs by 258, giving 1,806 ÷ 258 = 7 (chickens).

Workings

Hint
Look at the vowels (AEIOU).

Answer
2.

Consonants are worth 2 and vowels (AEIOU) are worth − 1.

Workings

Hint
The first letters of the names are: G, R, E, P, M, E, A, A.

Answer
gl    = Gail
rs    = Rose or Iris
dth   = Edith
ptsy  = Patsy
mxn   = Maxine
dwn   = Edwina or Dawn
gth   = Agatha
dry   = Audrey

Workings

Hint
Find how many sheep Drew has first.

Answer
3.

Reasoning
If we denote Alex by A, Billie by B, Charlie by C, and Drew by D and number the clues.

If Alex had three more sheep, then he'd have one fewer sheep than Billie. Whereas Drew has the same number as the other three shepherds put together. If Charlie had three fewer sheep, he'd have exactly three times the number of Alex. If they were evenly distributed, they'd each have eleven sheep.
By (4):
   A + B + C + D = 44

And, by (2), these are shared equally between A + B + C and D.

So D = 22, and A + B + C = 22 (*)

By (1):
   A + 3 = B − 1
   A + 4 = B

By (3):
   C − 3 = 3A
   C     = 3A + 3

Substitute B and C in (*):

A + (A + 4) + (3A + 3) = 22
                5A + 7 = 22
                    5A = 15
                     A = 3

And, B = 7, C = 12.

Double-Checking
A = 3, B = 7, C = 12, D = 22.

(1) 3 + 3 = 7 − 1
(2) 3 + 7 + 12 = 22
(3) 12 − 3 = 3 x 3
(4) 3 + 7 + 12 + 22 = 44, and 44 ÷ 4 = 11 each.