How to Make a Bird Waterer

Keep birds hydrated with a custom-made waterer.

A bird waterer is an excellent way to attract birds to your backyard. Bird waterers generally consist of a container that holds the water and a tube with a steel ball in it that siphons water out of the container when the ball is pushed in. Sit back and enjoy watching birds drink from a waterer you created.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic or glass bottle
• Rubber stopper (large enough to fit the mouth of the bottle)
• Drill
• Stainless steel ball-point tube (long enough to fit through the stopper and have an inch left over)
• Stainless steel ball
• Pliers

Instructions

1. Wash your bottle thoroughly to make sure that it is properly sterilized. Use a steam sterilizer if you are using a bottle that is made of glass or sturdier plastic that can resist the heat from the steam. Set the bottle aside to dry.

2. Drill a hole through the middle of the rubber stopper. Make sure that the hole you drill is wide enough where one end of the stainless steel ball-point tube fits through, but small enough where the fit is tight. A ball-point tube is a long cylindrical stainless steel tube with a slightly tapered end, commonly used in bird and hamster waterers. Remove any debris from the rubber stopper. You can also purchase a bird waterer kit that comes with a prepared tip for your bottle.

3. Drop the stainless steel ball into the ball-point tube. Bend the tube, at its halfway point, with your pliers to form a 45 degree angle. You want to form your bend so that the ball bearing cannot roll out from the opposite, non-tapered end of the tube. The bend also helps birds easily access the water because the angled watering tip faces them directly and they will not be forced to put their heads under the watering tip to drink. Insert the end of the tube that does not have the ball in it into the rubber stopper.

4. Fill the bottle with water and insert the rubber stopper tightly into the mouth of the bottle. Turn the bottle upside-down and push in the steel ball at the protruding tip of the tube to verify that water pours out. Hang up your new bird waterer in an upside-down position.

References

• Fowl Visions: Homemade Chicken Waterer; 2011
• The Garden Coop: Nipple Waterer for Backyard Chickens; Steve H.; 2011
• Parrot Fever: Bird Waterer Kit; 2011