Sad and Mad and Just Plain Confused

I am sick at heart.
I went out to feed my chickens this morning and let them out and there were only Elvis, Miss Dolly, and Daffodil in the coop.
Six hens completely missing.
Miss Betty, Miss Red, Miss Penny, Miss Shalayla, Miss Mable and Miss Bob. All gone.
I have searched the yard and can find no sign of them. No clusters of feathers, no broken bodies. Just...nothing.
In over a year I have lost one chicken to a predator and that was Miss Sukie. I found feathers. A bunch of them. And then a trail of them leading off. I think an owl took her.
But today- nothing. Just no hens.

I was so mad and so sick feeling on my walk this morning. I took a trash bag with me today to pick up some of the crap I've been ignoring on Main Street lately and that made me mad, too. Why do people throw their cups and bottles and cans and bags out of their windows? And why can't people who live on that street pick up that shit? Why do I do it?
Because I hate seeing it. That's why.
I saw Miss Liola on my way and she told me that she was glad to see me picking up trash and that she picks it up in front of her house (and she does- her yard is as tidy as a pin) and down the road a bit. Now see- if we all did that...well.
We don't.
Anyway, I told her about my hens.
"What could have taken them?" I asked.
"A two-legged animal took those chickens," she said. "I know it."

She may be right. See- last night when I shut them up in the hen house, I did not go in to pet them and do a head count. I had my camera over my shoulder to take pictures of the moon and that's where my head was at. I just assumed- as I always do- that my sweet chickens were all on their roost and it was dark in there. I just said, "Sleep well, hens," and shut the door and went and took pictures of the moon so I don't know if they were in there or not. I was on the back porch a great deal of the late afternoon and early evening and heard no disturbances at all.

And now Elvis is walking around the yard, crowing for his ladies. He is confused.
And so am I.
I'm going to go walk around the yard another time and see what I can find.

I feel awful.