It's been nearly 4 years since we've added new chicks to our flock of hens. Rather than tack onto my existing brooder set up and early integration article, I decided to do a brood along / integrate along thread for 2024, so I can touch on chick development and integration as it happens, and maybe folks who are brooding or integrating for the first time will find it helpful to have someone going through the same process with them. 
Specific set up info in my article linked above. As I brood outdoors in the run with a mama heating pad, I will include temperatures as I know a common concern is that chicks are too cold or too young to deal with being outside, or around older birds. I won't be updating daily but just adding on as things happen. My goal is to have the chicks fully off heat and integrated into the coop in a month's time - let's see if that happens!
3/29 Welcome home! Chicks are 2-3 days and 9-10 days old. 57F daytime and dry.
We picked up 4 pullet chicks from the feed store: a newly arrived Silver-Laced Wynadotte, Barnevelder, Blue (Copper?) Marans, and a Crevecoeur that's one week older than the rest. Once we got home I dipped everyone's beaks in water, then pushed them under the heating pad (they immediately popped back out). It took them a little bit to figure out that the heating pad was "mama" and then it went from shrill screaming to blissful silence for most of the afternoon. As the Crevecoeur was a bit lethargic and pasted up when I checked on them later, I picked the poop off her rear and gave her 1-2 drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench directly in the mouth.
3/30 First full day home. Temperature and weather same as day before.
Admittedly I find the first night to be miserable and sleepless, as I constantly worry it's too cold or that the heating pad malfunctioned. This is our 4th batch of chicks and it's always the same old worries! But everyone survived the night under the mama heating pad, with ambient temps around 40F or so.
The Crevecoeur was much more bouncy and energetic. Since I hadn't witnessed the chicks eating or drinking for any significant length of time (they spent most of the previous afternoon sleeping), I once again dipped their beaks in water, and tapped at the feeder to simulate a hen encouraging chicks to eat. They took to both eating and drinking after that, and even enjoyed spending some time in the sunshine in the back of the brooder.
Specific set up info in my article linked above. As I brood outdoors in the run with a mama heating pad, I will include temperatures as I know a common concern is that chicks are too cold or too young to deal with being outside, or around older birds. I won't be updating daily but just adding on as things happen. My goal is to have the chicks fully off heat and integrated into the coop in a month's time - let's see if that happens!
3/29 Welcome home! Chicks are 2-3 days and 9-10 days old. 57F daytime and dry.
We picked up 4 pullet chicks from the feed store: a newly arrived Silver-Laced Wynadotte, Barnevelder, Blue (Copper?) Marans, and a Crevecoeur that's one week older than the rest. Once we got home I dipped everyone's beaks in water, then pushed them under the heating pad (they immediately popped back out). It took them a little bit to figure out that the heating pad was "mama" and then it went from shrill screaming to blissful silence for most of the afternoon. As the Crevecoeur was a bit lethargic and pasted up when I checked on them later, I picked the poop off her rear and gave her 1-2 drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench directly in the mouth.
3/30 First full day home. Temperature and weather same as day before.
Admittedly I find the first night to be miserable and sleepless, as I constantly worry it's too cold or that the heating pad malfunctioned. This is our 4th batch of chicks and it's always the same old worries! But everyone survived the night under the mama heating pad, with ambient temps around 40F or so.
The Crevecoeur was much more bouncy and energetic. Since I hadn't witnessed the chicks eating or drinking for any significant length of time (they spent most of the previous afternoon sleeping), I once again dipped their beaks in water, and tapped at the feeder to simulate a hen encouraging chicks to eat. They took to both eating and drinking after that, and even enjoyed spending some time in the sunshine in the back of the brooder.
)
And yes, I'll be running in circles today screaming "what have I forgot to do? Their all gonna DIE!?!" 
I'm just a few weeks in front of you with my batch of 4. Did you do anything different to your MHP this year? I really changed mine up this year as I replaced my ole reliable heat pad with a new one. It's been great but they're now at that stage where they can't decide whether to go under or on top. And on top is awkward as it's just the pad in a hammock sort of look as I draped it over a metal frame but I cut all of the metal bars in the middle out. Anyhoo, they're goofy and 4-5 weeks old now but I can call another outdoor start successful! I love your set up!
And I did add some scraps of flannel to help hold heat in, but honestly don't think it makes a difference. Otherwise it's the same beat up wire frame that I've used the last 2 times.
