Great list and ideas! My chickens also like almond leaves and blossoms, petunia leaves and marigolds, but not the flowers?! Tomatoes and tomato leaves, sometimes geranium leaves. I give them chopped curly leaf kale and red cabbage once or twice a day, not huge amounts. They love snails but not...
I'm off on the hunt for a couple of my great pictures to send to you. I still have Tac who is 16 now, laid 14 eggs this year and promptly started setting. No eggs under her, she was determined anyway so I have her a wooden egg, which comforts her, since she is unable to get around very easily...
Broodie hens can leave their eggs for at least a half hour, to get food, dust bath, water, etc.
No the chicks should be alive. Figure 21 days of setting, and you should be pleasantly surprised with baby chicks!