Galvanized waterer rusting-problem??

[Lesa]

Painting it, sounds like an interesting idea. What type of paint do you use??

 

[pkazakidis]

Rust is Iron Oxide and it is perfectly safe for both humans and animals to consume small quantities of brown rust
from Iron.Not from other metals.I wouldn't even think of painting it.All paints are toxic to ingest,

Petros

 

[chickendogfarm]

if your water is hard or soft can help u determine whether to go with a plastic or metal waterer

 

[Mak]

I stopped using the galvanized waterer because of the rust. I know it didn't bother the chickens, but I just didn't like the looks of it. Plus we have really hard water which makes it worse and I know it would just rust through at some point. I was worried about the plastic one and the heater, but so far, I've not had a problem. I have one of those metal heater bases that are usually used for the metal waterer, but it works just fine with my huge plastic one. We've gone most of the winter with it, and no freezing and not a sign of even minor melting of the plastic.

 

[Dead Rabbit]

yup i learned the hard way with copper sulfate it will rust a gal. waterer in no time flat.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

Quote:
I just noticed this older post. I have been researching rusty galvanized water containers.... which is happening to mine.
If the chickens injest iron, will there be more iron in the eggs?
The rust is forming on the bottom interior. Each day I wipe the 2 inch spot with my finger which dislodges the rust and then I rinse well. Hope this is enough.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What type of paint do you use??

Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer and then one of their gloss enamels​

 

[A.T. Hagan]

All waterers - plastic or metal - eventually wear out. But sometimes local conditions can speed the process. Your local water may be somewhat acidic in pH which is going to accelerate the corrosion process in most metals.

One thing you can do to extend the life of the metal waterer if you don't want to paint it is to treat the rusty areas with Naval Jelly which is a gelled phosphoric acid product that you can find at most hardware stores. Phosphoric acid is a major ingredient in Coca Cola and other cola drinks so it's fairly harmless to use. Just clean the waterer thoroughly then brush on the gel. Set it off some place until it has dried well. The area you applied it to will turn a darkish gray color. Brush it lightly to remove any loose stuff them fill the waterer and set it out again. You may have to reapply every few months depending on how acidic your local water is.

If you do want to paint then the Naval Jelly will do a great job of providing some surface texture for the pain to adhere to.