Yikes! My galvanized waterer is rusting!

[cjpines]

This was posted by Michael Apple. If you do get plastic don't buy from Tractor store or any store that carries feeders from china. They can leak toxic chemicals. See his web sites for ordering plastic feeders. If you don't order from these sites at least you have some info as to what to look for.

Miller: http://www.miller-mfg.com/PPL.html

Kuhl: http://www.kuhlcorp.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?pg=cat&ref=poultry

 

[dobey66]

is using naval jelly to coat a galvanized chicken waterer safe? will the toxins leach into the water and therefore cause my chickens to get sick. thanks!! My waterer was rusting. cleaned it really well and applied a thin layer of naval jelly 2 x and let dry for 24 hrs. no more rust.

 

[NeeCee51]

I am also having the rust problem. Does anyone make a stainless steel one? I guess they would be more expensive but I would buy one.

 

[Jessykah]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but...I really need answers on this same topic. I used ACV in galvanized feeder in their water. Used it with a livestock water heater in it. So now the feeder is rusted, as well as the wire cage that holds the heating element off the bottom. I really can't afford a new water heater/de-icer. What are my options? I was thinking of painting the wire cage and feeder.
So to re-cap previous comments,
Rust is bad for your chickens. Rust is not bad for your chickens.
Use galvanized steel, just not with ACV. Don't use galvanized steel at all.
Paint with rust paint. Don't ever paint with rust paint.
Use ACV in plastic. Don't use ACV in plastic.
Did I miss anything? LOL
Please, if anyone can give insight/experience/info that isn't guessing or just playing it safe, then please do so. My chooks have net drinking rusty water for a while (hubby didn't tell me and he does the chores now) and they seem fine so far, but I am concerned about long-term health as well, and the health of their meat & eggs for human consumption. Thanks in advance!

 

[NeeCee51]

I had the same problem with my galvanized waterer. I have always been told no AVC in metal containers. I listen to a few people who I trust on a lot of things since they have been in the poultry business a long time. I use plastic waterers and nothing else most of the time. In the winter I use a heated base with a galvanized waterer but never put AVC in it. I also have a 3 gallon plastic waterer that has a heating element enclosed in the bottom. I don't know if you are a member of some of the chicken groups on Facebook but there are wonderful smart people that know a lot about poultry. We even have a Vet in one of the groups. She specializes in farm livestock. I hope this helps. I have only been a backyard chicken person for about 3 years.

 

[Luker]

Thanks for the help, folks. While it sounds like the rust may be more or less safe for them to ingest, it's just spreading so quickly now that I want to stop it from progressing. I'd like to keep using the waterer for a long time.

Since I already have some Rustoleum kicking around from various paint jobs around the house and yard, I won't have to track down the POR-15. (I love Rustoleum... I even use it to re-finish the mesh on my older fencing masks.) I'll try taking some steel wool and/or sandpaper to the affected spots again and get as much of the fresh rust off as I can, then seal it with a thin layer of Rustoleum. I'll let you know what happens.

And I will never, EVER add vinegar to a galvanized bucket again! I'll use a plastic one for that job. Live and learn.

Thanks for the help, folks. While it sounds like the rust may be more or less safe for them to ingest, it's just spreading so quickly now that I want to stop it from progressing. I'd like to keep using the waterer for a long time.

Since I already have some Rustoleum kicking around from various paint jobs around the house and yard, I won't have to track down the POR-15. (I love Rustoleum... I even use it to re-finish the mesh on my older fencing masks.) I'll try taking some steel wool and/or sandpaper to the affected spots again and get as much of the fresh rust off as I can, then seal it with a thin layer of Rustoleum. I'll let you know what happens.

And I will never, EVER add vinegar to a galvanized bucket again! I'll use a plastic one for that job. Live and learn.

Hi just wondering if doing the spray actually worked and was safe?

 

[Rldad1]

A little surface rust won't hurt your chickens. They need iron for their blood and that is just another source. If it rusty to the point that it is flacking off, that is not good as large iron particles might pose a problem.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Hi just wondering if doing the spray actually worked and was safe?

The spray is NOT safe for birds. Especially on the thing they drink out of!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Galvanized iron has been used for human water systems, drinking pails, and animal water buckets and feed buckets for hundreds of years. Zinc is an essential mineral to most organisms as is iron, you aren't going to poison the chickens using a zinc coated water can or feeder.

Adding vinegar doesn't change anything other than breaking down the galvanized coating much quicker. A change in pH, either acidic or alkaline, generally causes most metals to break down quicker. Same thing happens on your pretty granite countertop which is loaded with poisonous heavy metals, best to clean them with plain old water rather than using soap or other cleaning supplies. Oils can also make some heavy metals including zinc, copper, iron, as well as the nasty heavy metals become bio-available. Most metals including the toxic heavy metals they want to remain in a safe, non bio-available state as they have combined with oxygen but things like pH changes, oil, soap, several other things can cause the chemistry to switch from safe to bio-available.

You have a lot of ammonia in the chicken coop too that contributes to rusting so try to keep the poop off any galvanized item.

 

[NewtonZapple]

I've been using a 3-gallon galvanized waterer for 2 years, and very recently, it developed some nasty rust spots on the floor of the inside, as well as around the edges of both the base and the cap thingie. If I don't scrub it out and refill it at least once a day, the water they're drinking is a little rusty. I imagine this is not good. (I do change their water daily, but when I'm on away, I'm not positive my husband or petsitter is so diligent.)

I've got very hard well water, which explains the normal sediment I see (like inside my SS tea kettle). But rust? Nobody at my local Agway has ever seen this. I searched old posts here, and now I'm wondering if it may have been caused by my adding a little apple cider vinegar to the water for a week or two awhile back, on my vet's orders. The weird thing is, I'd given them a little vinegar in the past, though not for such a long period of time, and never saw any rust. Maybe the prolonged exposure corroded it?

I broke down and bought a new waterer yesterday, but for that price, I would love to be able to use the old one as a secondary station - but not if it's unhealthy! Can I safely use Rustoleum or something to paint over those spots inside?

Thanks for asking this question - and to everyone who replied! I just sat down to ask the same question and now I don’t need to!!