Tom, I ended up with 4 chicks and both moms continue to share brood-duty. The other 4 hens have accepted the little guys and only peck at them now and again, mostly as a warning when I throw out scratch. So far, can't tell whether the babies are male or female. Hoping for all pullets, but that is fairly unlikely.
I've put out chick starter in a low feeder and continue to feed the hens layer feed in their big-girl feeder, but who knows who is eating what. The little guys seem to spend most of their day outside foraging. I toss most of my weeds into the chicken yard and am finding some are setting seed and growing into volunteers that the chickens apparently won't eat, which is a bit nicer look that pitted dirt. Here's what they are leaving alone - feverfew, lemon balm, calendula, ladies mantle, vervain, blue vervain, I think mother's wort or something similar. They also won't eat nettles unless I cut them down, which I do. And, I've planted comfrey outside their yard which they snack on through the wire. I will do some research to be sure none of the stuff they are leaving alone is particularly toxic to them, although not a problem at this juncture since they are leaving it alone. That may change in the winter though.
