Are you talking about on Beta? Because Berserkers felt more like they had +50% vs. the +100% that the lower tier stuff got - although I've not done a direct comparison, I know Lost don't have modified HP at all. But I'd not be surprised to see that Chrysalids don't get +100% either.
For all the Chrysalids on my normal WotC run the pods didn't give me much trouble at all - I think I had one spawn ever and I trashed it before it even popped a single one.
No, normal. Guess it is all down to how xcomed you get on the mission. Watched Cohh get a retaliation strike with chryssalids + a chosen. When he got past the chosen and the regular mob clusters there were already something like 4 of the pods spawning chryssalids, where they spawned and ran straight for survivors killing at least 2x people a turn. Not that he couldn't kill them if he had time (I think Chryssalids that spawn in pods have half of the HP of normal ones), just that it was impossible to keep up to them slaughtering civilians. By the time he could focus on them he only had 6 people left on the map and only one saved. He had to evac as he already had lost soldiers too. Not sure how it works, but appears that in retaliation strikes, mobs that start on the mission are hardcoded to only kill one civilian a turn no matter how many mobs there are that can do turns. However, the chryssalids that spawn through pods don't seem to have that rule.
No doubt you can get really xcomed by getting a mission with chyssalids, chosen + alien hunter too. I'm still scared of doing a facility mission and unlocking the berserker hunter. That guy is broken.