It seems your having a lot of trouble with your chicks getting in the pillow case. If I were you, I would take off the pillow case and use small bungee cords to attach the heating pad to your frame. Be sure and put your heating pad underneath the wire, so that the chicks can press up against the pad and get warm. Instead of using a pillow case, just get an old kitchen or hand towel and lay across the top of the wire. You can take it off, shake off the poo and put back on. This will keep the chicks from getting caught up in the pillow case. I used a cookie rack and all thread rods to make my warmer. I bungeed it underneath the rack and just laid an old kitchen towel over the top. I made the front higher than the back and let the chicks pick where they wanted to stay. My heating pad had a cover on it and you can see that it was a bit wider than the cookie rack. I let the extra hang down in the front but not all the way to the ground.Here it is set up in the coop. I have the towel over the top, then put some shavings over the towel. Angle it so the front is higher, and the chicks can go in all way to the back if they need to, or stay up from for not as much heat.
You really need to take off the pillow case, or else fix it to where they can't get up in it. Otherwise, your going to have a chick get caught up in there and not make it.`
Thank you both for the tips.
Unfortunately I don't know how to sew,CC, so that's out haha But anyway, I definitely was having quite a few issues but I think the issue was more the type of pillow case because I had another one when I had the box, one of the normal ones with the opening on one end, and didn't have an issue but then I put a different one on cause the other got gross and this one is one of the ones with the opening right in the center so it caused a lot of issues. I managed to find one that opens on one end and also zips, which is nice cause I can have the cord stick through and not rip a hole in it, and I got home and none were stuck so I take that as a good sign. That said though, I think I may switch to a cooling rack or something like that too because I'm not really liking this wire. It's green vinyl welded wire and it bends easy enough but my problem is it doesn't really bend back too well and once you bend it a few times (as I have, trying to get it perfect) it becomes hard to get back to a good shape, like the actual wire is easy to bend but it kind of gets "stuck" in positions and hard to make a new position if that makes sense. Now, we do have a whole roll so I could always just find a shape I like and then cut a new piece off and immediately put it in that position but I don't know. But either way though, whether I switch to a different frame or not, I really do like the bungee cord idea and my heating pad is currently sitting up top but the holes are big so I think they can touch but I may have to go with the bungee cord thing. Plus it's easier to angle lower. And we have tons of bricks to prop it up. The only thing is though is I don't know if something like that would be big enough for 8 but I guess we'll see. And also I was wondering, where would I connect them? Underneath or up top? Or do I hook them to the wire? Cause I was thinking you link the two ends together or no? With the latter I was concerned about comfort and toes or wingd stuck but I guess that's unlikely. And like CC the pillow case does help keep it clean but them so does a towel and I think these are washable
I think I actually just read your article on that yesterday or the other day. Seems like such a great idea ad we definitely have plenty of wood and random parts laying around. I may just do that instead.So much complication! Just put the pad on the rack and cover it with a thin piece of plywood larger than the pad. I did cover the wood with the glad brand sticky wrap...peeled it off once they were done with heat.
Once again, you take a process, and stream line it... making it easier and better. I like that idea!So much complication! Just put the pad on the rack and cover it with a thin piece of plywood larger than the pad.
I did cover the wood with the glad brand sticky wrap...peeled it off once they were done with heat.
