Yes, much nicer, and it'll be much easier to give them the temperature variance they need to help wean them off heat later.
And I agree about the dander... might be hard to see how bad it is until it's all built up, but from raising 3 chicks in a bathtub, I had to scrub oily, grimey dander off...
You'll need to upgrade. How many chicks and how large is the tote? Do you already have chickens? Is the coop ready, if not?
By 7 weeks they should have around 2 sq ft minimum per chick. I give my chicks 2 sq ft from the start, and from their behavior they're eager to expand past that by...