Evicted the chicks to the small coop today. No more stinky basement!
The 2 older chicks seem to be tolerating the small ones pretty well (they are outnumbered 5 to 1, so I think the littles will be OK) and settling in to everything. We put a heat lamp out there that I got DH to screw into the ceiling so that it CAN'T fall into the shavings and start a fire. I would have skipped the lamp, but the smallest chick is only 2.5wks old, and doesn't have that many feathers yet. They're all puppy-piling up to sleep. It's cute.
Sorry, this is the worrier in me:
Be sure to Pick them up in the evening when it's cold, make sure their feet are warm....puppy piling can be because they are too cold; if they are brooded at too cool a temp they can be prone to respiratory issues! If their feet feel ok then it's probably ok. I didn't put mine out until one month, when they had a good bit of feathers; they still have the lamp of course! To avoid the fire hazard i am also brooding with sand. I change it every day, i am lucky because the whole yard here is sand! Don't gotta be fancy;
if you have it it will work and help hold in the body heat better than the woodchips

I also am using a big dog kennel to house them, keeps the big birds from pushing them away from their lamp, and to be sure they are not getting picked on and kept away from the food and water.
I'd be too tempted to put them under a broody if I started getting to many! Is it true that they may not be viable for a few months once she starts laying? I read something along the lines of that on the other thread, and was curious about it.
It may have been me talking about it, i don't know about viability per say but the better breeders i have "followed" and tried to learn from don't hatch pullet eggs usually. There are two camps on this issue, some say pullet's eggs are stronger, some say no.
I am in the "no" camp because they are still getting the mechanics right, so the eggs can vary in size, shape, a bit. How can you be sure that the egg is getting the proper nutrients from the hen even? It takes time for the body to make changes, i would not take the chance of breeding weak or deformed chicks. You may breed from pullets for years without issues, but i.m.o. it is a risk and easily prevented by letting them go for a few months.
i.m.o that is why the hatcheries have issues with their chicks not being as sturdy, prone to cross beak and possibly the internal laying. That and i think they feed only a laying ration. To get optimal results both the hen and the rooster you are planning to breed should get a boosted diet, gail damerow recommended a game bird ration in her book. Same as for us, healthy mom and dad make a healthy baby
