How do you get rid of the rubber smell?

[FlockVillemaire]

I got my chickens one of those very popular black rubber livestock bowls as a waterer...


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NOOOOOOoooooooo! Surprisingly terrible choice! They leach PFAS intensely! But we are such creatures of bad habits.

 

[paintedChix]

I have used the rubber round feed tubs since 1995 for feeding horses & ponies. Had horses off & on from 1970 - 1995 but can't remember what we used to feed them in.

I started w/ chicks in 2011. I think ive used just about every type of waterer since, including the black rubber tubs. I haven't had ponies since 2023. Still have all my tubs - both from chickens & ponies. Currently using 5 "old" tubs for watering chickens & dogs. Have a bunch of chicks that will be going into growout pens, w/ rubber tubs & a couple pens that will have other waterers changed to tubs when our weather drops below freezing.

I don't remember having any "rubber" smell...

2 weeks ago I was in TSC. I went down an aisle that had 2 shelves, the full length of the row, with various black rubber tubs. The smell was terrible & I got an instant headache. Ive been down these aisles before, but had not purchased any rubber tubs from this particular TSC. I don't remember EVER noticing a smell in these tubs before & never when I have been in an agricultural, farm or garden supply store... I didn't look to see what brand(s) they were.

I know that the original rubber tubs & colored plastic buckets we used were made by Fortiflex or Fortex (?). I dont like the plastic buckets made by Little Giant - the plastic in both thier short side colored tubs, 8 qt buckets & the big buckets all turn brittle and crack really quick. I honestly dont know if ive gotten black rubber tubs from Little Giant.

I think I started noticing "smells" in various plastics used for human food storage & storage containers as far back as 30 years ago, while in stores...

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to remove the scent. Sounds like you've done everything I would have suggested.