# How to make a 5 gal bucket waterer for pigeons



## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I am going away on vacation soon and I was looking on you tube to see how to make a 5 gal waterer. There were plenty on there but none that would keep the water from getting soiled. They all were just buckets upside down in a pan, so I went to Lowes and started my brain working to build a proper one for pigeons and this is what I came up with. It works perfectly. I got all new stuff and it cost about 10 bucks to build, but if you have buckets, less than 3 would be the cost.

The hardest think to do is make sure the lid would seal air tight. If not it won't work. I got some weather stripping and put it in the lid. Make sure to over lap the ends a half inch.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I then drilled a 1" hole in the center of one bucket and put a 3/4" male thread to 1" slip or glue female end. I used a o ring to seal it and a plastic electric nut to tighten it up. I had to grind the top of the nut off so it would thread the whole way down.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

The washer goes behind the white piece.
Then I cut a second bucket off about half way down to be used as a spacer to keep the third bucket up above the drink holes.










Drill holes around the outside of the third bucket. The top of the holes should be at the bottom of the inside bucket. You can see where this is by shinning a flashlight inside. It is important that you have all the holes at the same height.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

The pipe should be glued in place and cut off 1/4" below the bottom edge of the holes. I just put a ruler through the holes and marked the pipe with a pen and cut it 1/4" longer.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

The water test worked great. it sat for a couple hours without leaking a drop.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I had to figure out how to fill it with the lid off the water would run through as you were filling it so this is what I came up with.










Rubber plug, just fill it up then pull the plug and put the lid on.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Leave the handle on both buckets, but remove it from the spacer one. The handle on the bottom bucket snaps over the edge of the top bucket to hold them together so you can carry it while it is full.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

One more to build, but the next one will be a piece of cake.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Looks good how many birds do you have? Are you just going to set it on the floor or make a box to set it on.
Dave


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I have about 15 birds in each loft and 2 in one pen and 3 in the other pen. My son and his wife are staying here when I go, but he doesn't want to tend to the birds unless he has to so I will make it easy for him. I will just put it in the aviary, that way he can see if it has water in it. I have a bunch of other waters, that I will double up in the pens.


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

*water bucket*

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f38/rebirth-loft-57656-7.html


worked well


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow. Never saw that one


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

Shadybug - great job as always!

Here's a thought - for buckets go to the bakery (grocery store, shoppes, etc). Ask for their Icing buckets. These come with a rubber seal already in the lid - so the sugar stays airtight and usable. 

My grocery store gives them to me (free). 

It's a rugged food safe bucket.

I also find that they're great for keeping feed in - highly rodent proof.


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

great job again.. I put a cap on the fill tube and had the length sit on the bottom for stability, then drilled two small holes in the side of the pipe to let the water slowly fill . I was worried it would over fill... Hope this helps....


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

bhymer said:


> great job again.. I put a cap on the fill tube and had the length sit on the bottom for stability, then drilled two small holes in the side of the pipe to let the water slowly fill . I was worried it would over fill... Hope this helps....


I was going to do that but I couldn't find a cap at work so I did it this way, but the next one I will do it your way that way you can fill it and only a little will come out the holes till your done.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Silver Wings said:


> Shadybug - great job as always!
> 
> Here's a thought - for buckets go to the bakery (grocery store, shoppes, etc). Ask for their Icing buckets. These come with a rubber seal already in the lid - so the sugar stays airtight and usable.
> 
> ...


I have a brother that works at food lion grocery store I will see if he can get me some.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Silver wings, I found this great lid at Lowes. It's air tight and screws on easily,


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I rigged the pipe up with a cap. The water covers the hole and stops perfectly.


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## Silver Wings (Jan 27, 2014)

Hey that is a really nice lid there Shadybug!

I will have to keep that in mind the next time I get near a Lowes (mine is almost 2 hrs away). Thanks for the pics!!


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

Nice great job.....


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Our Lowes is less than 10 min away. I go there almost every day at least once.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

I tried putting the hole on the side of the pipe, but it was hard to tell where the water would stop at. Putting it on the bottom as soon as it hits the bottom of the pipe the water stops. The next project will be a bucket feeder.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Back from a week vacation, the waterer worked great.


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

Great, what are you thinking on a feeder.... I have been thinking about this for a while...


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Basicly the same thing with the buckets. Maybe a large funnel inside to direct the feed to the hole,and a bigger diameter pipe. I have been thinking for a long time about how to keep feed from being kicked out of the feeders. I think if you could put some kind of coller in the holes to extend the hole a 1/4" in it would keep the feed in there. The coller would keep the feed from being pulled out of the feeder. I will have to start looking for something that will work. What do you all think about that idea?


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## bhymer (Jan 8, 2008)

I like the idea of the collar. What if you place a bowl upsidedown in the bucket and have a large pipe feed on it ?? That would direct the feed to the holes. Only problem is getting the feed in the second bucket to filter to the pipe...
Its a start..


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## Greek Boy (Apr 12, 2010)

Gary- a well designed water bucket. Really a beautiful job and as always very functionable. It's great that guys like Shadybug and Bhymer lofts share their ideas with rest of us. Thanks fellows. All the best - Nick.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks Nick. I have no secrets, my stuff is your stuff. I post all these ideas so everyone can use them or expand and make them better. I found a way to keep bird bands on babies that are to small to band. I had to find a way when I went last week. I had 3 that I had to band before I left that the band would not stay on. When I came back they were still there on the leg. I also mad a no scrape perch, the proto type has been in the loft now for a couple weeks to see if they use and like it, so far there is a bird on it whenever I look in there day or night, so they seem to like it. I plan to use it in the new loft. I plan to put a row of them up high around the top of the loft at the same height so there is no fighting over higher perches. I will be posting these 2 things when I get a chance, and the feeder some day.


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