Back from holiday to a chicken disaster!

Just got back today. Our neighbour, who had been looking after the chickens, said she had bad news. All of our 12 week old pure bantams that were going to add to our bantam laying flock have gone ! They found the door to their coop open this morning with absolutely no signs of any of the birds. I have no idea how it happened and certainly not blaming anyone, but there were definately opposable thumbs involved as no animal could open that coop.
To top it all off, they had also removed 6 eggs that a broody hen was sitting on (after 10 days of incubation) and left them for us in our egg basket (despite being told she was just to be left with the eggs) Good job we didnt fancy eggs on toast when we got back as i dont fancy seeing what will be in them!
No idea what to do now - three months work to get those growers to this stage. Involving a fair amount of expense buying eggs, incubator, feed etc and having to go through culling the males that we couldnt find homes for. It is all just a pointless watse of life that i feel responsible for. Really not keen to go through that again. Certainly won't be asking them to look after our chickens again - even though they seemed the ideal choice as they have chickens themselves. Wouldnt mind but we gave away 4 chicks to them and 5 to another neighbour for nothing and now they have theirs and we have nothing!! Meh!! Feeling very dispondant! :cry:
Rant over - all I get from my other half is 'well it wasnt meant to be' etc which really isnt helpful!!

I feel so sorry for you  

I would be so p!ss£d  

That is so awful I don't know what I would do if I was in your position. You have my sympathies:(

i,m so sorry,if i was that neighbour i,d be offering you the chicks you gave me back as a sorry!!!

We found one!!
Went back up to the allotment and was looking round - for feathers/heads really - but found one in a bucket looking terrified!
It isnt injured but has some feathers missing and what looks like drool matted in its feathers where is has been in somethings mouth. There was a cat stalking about that we see quite often round our chickens up there. A cat couldnt have taken 5 12-16 week old birds and leave no trace could it? Surely it would kill them and leave them or only take one home as gift for owner? A cat could definately not have opened the three bolts on the door in the first place anyway!
Had a good search for any more but no sign - have left the coop door open in case any more come home then at least they may be safe till morning when i go check again.

I though of theft - especially when you see pure bred bantam hens selling for £25 plus at POL. Our neighbours dont know the value of the young hens we gave them - we never got a thankyou from either of them. Trouble is - you dont do things for the thanks and you dont mind giving things away as I certainly dont breed chickens for the money - but when theres no thanks at all you just can help wishing you had sold them and paid for a couple of bags of feed!!

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this.  But like you say a cat wouldn't have been able to open the bolts, so sounds like someone has take the chooks, but perhaps missed a couple, and the cat has caught the one you found on its own and tried to kill it.

Poor little things, maybe, just maybe there are more escapees around and I agree with Milly, if that had been me, I would have said did you want the chicks back you gave me!!!!

my thought is that the neighbiour may not have put the bolt in or forgot  :roll:

obviously you won't be giving them owt else in the future.