I have a small flock of 6, but I finally got tired of filling up my multiple 1-gallon waterers so often. Most ideas I've seen for larger DIY waterers seemed like more work than I was willing to put in, not suitable for freezing temps, or hard to clean.
I liked one idea using a standard 5-gallon bucket to create a gravity-fed waterer by simply drilling a hole then turning it upside down, but who wants to flip a 5-gallon bucket of water? That's almost 42 pounds! I came up with this simpler design that I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere. So hopefully, this can help others who are looking for a simple, cheap, easy-to-clean solution.
Materials
1. Drill a hole large on the side of your 5-gallon bucket, near the bottom, big enough for your cork/rubber plug to fit snugly into.
2. Place bucket in tray.
3. Plug hole.
4. Fill bucket from the top with water.
5. Close lid with airtight lid. Needs to be airtight to create a vacuum inside or the water will overflow.
6. Unplug hole to fill waterer.
Recommendations to Improving Design
I liked one idea using a standard 5-gallon bucket to create a gravity-fed waterer by simply drilling a hole then turning it upside down, but who wants to flip a 5-gallon bucket of water? That's almost 42 pounds! I came up with this simpler design that I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere. So hopefully, this can help others who are looking for a simple, cheap, easy-to-clean solution.
Materials
- 5-gallon bucket with airtight lid (needed for it to work; I went with the screw-on lid to make refilling easier).
- Hole saw/drill.
- Tray or dish large enough for the 5-gallon bucket to sit in and deep enough to cover the hole you make on your bucket.
- Cork/rubber plug that can fit snugly into the hole created by the hole saw.
1. Drill a hole large on the side of your 5-gallon bucket, near the bottom, big enough for your cork/rubber plug to fit snugly into.
2. Place bucket in tray.
3. Plug hole.
4. Fill bucket from the top with water.
5. Close lid with airtight lid. Needs to be airtight to create a vacuum inside or the water will overflow.
6. Unplug hole to fill waterer.
Recommendations to Improving Design
- I was debating between using a metal dish vs. rubber and decided to get the metal dish because I thought it would be easier to clean, but as soon as I got home, I wish I went with the rubber dish because the metal one may eventually rust and it won't be as suitable in the winter. But maybe it won't matter with my submersible water heater.
- Putting something on top of the bucket to keep birds from pooping in the water
- Find a way to keep the plug nearby and somewhere it won't get lost. Right now, I just have my stopper on top of the lid and I put a larger can/planter on top.
- I wish I made the hole smaller and got a smaller plug. The water came gushing out and it actually overflowed a bit before I was able to screw on the lid tight enough.
- ??? I would love to hear your thoughts on this design and please comment if you notice any flaws.
