Plastic Jug Bird Feeder
This project is rated: EASY
Materials needed:
- Plastic milk jug (some other types of jugs are also suitable)
- Knife and/or heavy duty scissors
- Small sticks
- Cord or wire
Many plastic milk jugs look like this illustration at right.
They frequently have indentations on all four sides as shown in the illustration. If the jug you are using is different, you will have to improvise.
Project Instructions
- This step involves cutting holes in the sides of the jug. If you are not an adult, get an adult to help you. Cut a large hole in each side of the jug as indicated by the cross-hatched area. (If your jug does not have flat sides, cut 4 holes equally spaced around the jug that are each 2 to 3 inches in diameter.)
- Also cut a small hole just below each of the large holes. Make these holes about one-half inch in diameter and about an inch below the large hole.
- Find 2 small sticks that are less than one-half inch in diameter and about 18 inches in length. (These don’t have to be straight sticks. A crooked stick looks natural and a bow in the middle will help in the installation.)
- Insert the sticks through the small holes so that they cross each other inside the jug and project equal amounts out each side of the jug.
- Fill the bottom of the jug with bird seed.
- Use a cord to hang the jug from a tree limb or other support.
Just watch and wait. It won’t take long before birds start coming to your feeder. Some birds will perch on one of the twigs and stick their heads inside to get a seed. Small birds may go inside of the feeder to get a seed.
Have fun watching the birds.
Note: Keep the cap on the jug to keep rain out. If rain blows into the side holes, it will accumulate in the bottom of the jug. If this happens, punch a small drain hole in the jug’s bottom.