Build a Milk Jug Bird Feeder

Making a milk jug bird feeder is a simple way to attract birds. All you need to make one is a milk jug and a few other easy-to-find materials. This is also a great project to do with children, because it can teach them about nature, crafting, and recycling.

Steps

Constructing Your Bird Feeder

  1. Gather the materials you need. However you design your birdfeeder, you will need some basic materials: an empty, cleaned, and dry gallon or half-gallon plastic milk jug, some string or wire, scissors, and bird food (birdseed, sunflower seeds, millet, etc.). Depending on your design, you might also want to gather:
    • Dowels or sticks to use as perches (these should be a few inches wider than the jug)[1]
    • Markers, paints, leaves and glue, or other materials to decorate the feeder
    • An aluminum pie plate to use as a bottom
  2. Mark at least one opening on the jug. Using a marker, draw a shape on a side of the milk jug away from its handle. It should be positioned a couple of inches from the bottom of the jug, so that it covers the middle of the jug’s side. This shape will mark the opening where the birds will be able to access the food inside. You can draw a circle, a semi-circle, square, or any other shape that a bird could enter to reach food inside the feeder.
    • A hole between two and four inches wide is sufficient for many common birds.[2]
    • If your jug is large enough, you can cut another hole or two (of the same size) on its other sides.
  3. Use scissors to cut away the opening you marked on the jug. Using the scissors or another sharp implement, carefully poke a small hole in the jug somewhere along the outline you drew on its side. Then, using the scissors, carefully cut along the line you marked until you cut the circle entirely off of the jug, leaving an opening about three inches wide.
    • If you marked places for other openings on your jug, cut those away too.
  4. Puncture holes for the perch(es), if applicable. If you want your milk jug bird feeder to have a perch for birds to stand on as they eat, then you can use a dowel or stick to easily add one. Use a hole punch, scissors, or some other instrument to puncture the jug about a half-inch below the opening, and then again on the other side.[1] The hole should not be any larger than your dowel or stick is wide.
    • Repeat this step if you have more than one perch.
    • Instead of a dowel or stick as a perch, you could glue an aluminum pie plate to the bottom of your milk jug feeder. This can give birds something to perch on as they feed.[3] If you use a pie plate, you do not need to punch the small holes in the sides of the jug.
  5. Add the perch(es) to the jug. Take the dowel or stick you want to use as a perch, and carefully insert it into one of the small holes you punched. Push the perch through until it passes through the small hole on the opposite side of the jug.[4] Adjust the perch until it sticks out approximately the same amount (a few inches is fine) on both sides.
    • Repeat this step if you have more than one perch.
  6. Prepare your jug for hanging. You will need to create some sort of loop or hook that you can use to hang your jug outside. There are several ways to do this, depending on the materials you have. Make sure to leave some of the material dangling to use later when you hang the feeder (the exact length depends on where you will hang the feeder). You can:
    • Punch a small hole through the cap of the milk jug. Then feed string or ribbon through the hole, and tie a knot on the inside of the cap so that the string won’t slip through. Then, you can take the other end of the string and tie to a branch or hook outside to hang your bird feeder.[5]
    • You can also punch a hole in the cap of the milk jug and use wire or a coat hanger instead of string.[5]
    • Another method is to punch a small hole near the top of the jug (just below the cap), and then another on the opposite side. You can then pass string, ribbon, or wire through the two holes and use this to hang the feeder.[3]
    • You an also just wrap string, wire, or ribbon around the neck of the jug, if it is secure enough.

Decorating and Filling Your Bird Feeder

  1. Decorate your jug, if you want. Decorating your milk jug bird feeder isn’t a necessary step, but it can add personality and fun to the project. For instance:
    • You can use markers to draw a design on the plastic jug.
    • You can also gather leaves, twigs, etc. and glue them on the outside of the jug as decoration.[6]
  2. Put some small rocks in the bottom of the jug. This step is optional, but putting some small rocks in your jug can help to weigh it down and keep it stable.[3] This is especially helpful if you live in a windy area.
  3. Fill the jug with food. Pour your chosen food (birdseed, sunflower seeds, millet, etc.) through the large opening(s) and into the bottom of the jug.[4] Don’t overfill the jug; pour in enough food to just about reach the bottom of the opening(s).

Hanging and Maintaining Your Bird Feeder

  1. Hang the jug outside. Choose a location where you can easily reach the jug to refill it with food when necessary.[6] Try hanging the feeder from a low tree branch, a post, or other place that is accessible to you and to birds. Make sure to hang the bird feeder using a strong knot or secure wire.
  2. Attract birds to your feeder. You’ll want to choose a place to hang your feeder that allows you to see it and to enjoy watching the birds eat. You’ll also want the feeder to be in a place that birds find safe.
    • Different species of birds have different preferences, so you might have to try putting the feeder in several locations to find one that birds like best.
    • You can also try different kinds of food if one kind does not seem attractive to birds.
  3. Maintain the bird feeder. Periodically check on your bird feeder to make sure that it is filled and safe. How often you need to do this will depend on the type and number of birds that visit your feeder, and the weather in your area.
    • If it is low on food, refill it.
    • If the feeder is damp or dirty, then clean and dry it or replace it.
    • If the plastic of the jug becomes brittle (this can happen in time), replace the feeder with a new one.



Tips

  • If you are doing this project with children, make sure to help them with the cutting and puncturing.

Things You’ll Need

  • Empty, clean, dry milk jug
  • String, ribbon, or wire
  • Scissors
  • Bird food (birdseed, millet, sunflower seeds, etc.)
  • Dowel or stick (optional)
  • Small rocks (optional)
  • Markers, paint, glue, leaves to decorate (optional)
  • Aluminum pie plate (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://tpwd.texas.gov/kids/fun_stuff/arts_and_crafts/birdfeeder.phtml
  2. ↑ http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/rbirds.htm
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.hort.vt.edu/HORT6004/network/YouthGardener/GrowingFruit/milkJug.pdf
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://tpwd.texas.gov/kids/fun_stuff/arts_and_crafts/birdfeeder.phtml
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/4948/six-projects-to-do-with-plastic-bottles-and-jugs/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.nwf.org/kids/family-fun/crafts/milk-jug-bird-feeder.aspx

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