Hi, all chicken lovers. In this sad world it just feels so great to have tiny, new life. I would just like to comment that, if your chicks don't have a Mum to sit on them when they are cold, the risks of raising them outdoors are massive. Wee chicks not only need heat top-down, but they need cover to shelter under. Depending on your climate, they may get damp outside, and, if their fluff gets damp and they can't dry off, then they will die. I use an indoor brooder, at work surface height, against a window where they can look at the outside world. A large sheepskin hat acts as a nest, and they all cuddle in. There is also a heat lamp, which is raised gradually as the chicks start to feather. On fine days, they are collected in a box and taken to an outdoor pen where they can forage. If frightened, they retreat to the box which has their own blanket. Works for me!