My brooder is about 1' x 2.5' (a 12" x 5 foot roll of shelf liner cut exactly in half fits perfectly), so it's pretty wide. I use a swing arm desk lamp attached to a table nearby, so I move the light up and down depending upon how the chicks are acting. I don't cover the brooder for the first...
I put my water on one end of the brooder and the food on the other and the light in the middle. Only because they inevitably get food in the water.
I think your brooder will be good for a few days. Maybe a week, but after that, it will get over crowded. I have 35 chicks and I had to split...
I'm always reminded of Forrest Gump with is box of chocolates, except it's "cot eggs" instead. You never know what you are going to get until they hatch.
Oh, I'm so excited for you!!
I know exactly what you mean about leaving for work and school. Hopefully, you will get to see some when you come home. Or they will be pipped and zipped, and you get to see the last popping out of the shell.
Looks like you have a nice English White/Texas A&M...
After she sees the fuzzy butts (chicks), she might change her mind!
They grow so fast, it's nice to have them somewhere that everyone can look at them often.