adding insult to injury

I lost most of another batch of baby chickens today, even watching carefully.  I might have been wrong to blame to opossum.  I had observed large mice (maybe small rats?) in the coop when it was empty.  I observed their entrance.  I didn't think a chick could go through there, and they certainly could not have gone through without help, they can't climb or fly at a day old.  But yet again, I have lost chicks.  I noticed the loss when 21 of the 27 had vanished.  I heard peeping under the floor...  looked... saw ONE chick trying to get out, but it could not, and the gap was too small by a long way for me to reach in.  Also saw a pointy little nose, that was NOT an opossum.  Either really big mouse, or a small rat.  I swear it sneered at me.  The remaining chicks are now in the HOUSE.  Tomorrow morning I'll line that pen with hardware cloth.  If that doesn't work, I'll give up.

Recap on a DAY FROM HELL

1. Got the call from the post office at 7am about the chicks...  this is no problem, I'm up and dressed already.  Go I go fetch them, and put them in the pen.
2. BUT I'm due at the auto inspection place at 8:30, and when I'm done with the chicks at 7:45, Alice has NOT finished making her lunch, like I asked her to when I left.
3. I get to the inspector at 8:25 only to find I've forgotten all of my registrations....  so back home again.
4. by noon, I'm done getting a car, a truck and two trailers inspected. 
5. But I haven't even had breakfast yet.  So I eat.
6. I go to the store, with eggs to sell, and the intent to stop at the dairy and pick up milk on the way back.
7. So at the store, they hand me a check for the eggs, which then falls out of my bag when I go to write the check for the food, but I don't notice.
8. I forgot the milk can.
9. So, I get home, to collect the milk can and get a call from the store about the dropped check.
10 . Back to the store, then get milk, then gas for the car.
11. This is when I get home and discover the missing chicks. See below.
Should I have just not gotten up this morning at all????