Mildly rusted feeder safe to use?

[SqueakyRoseShalom]

Hiya all,
Our feeder is mildly rusted. My kid scrubbed it down with steel wool. This is how it looks now. Is this safe to use for my flock? THANKS!!!

 

[imnukensc]

Yes, it'll be fine to use.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I’d use it as is, but I think you could hit that with some rustolium as well.

 

[SqueakyRoseShalom]

Yes, it'll be fine to use.

THANKS!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Nothing there other than some iron and zinc coating, both of which are good in trace quantities. Might be safer that way than after a coat of paint. Check into a product that makes a claim that it converts rust. I forget the name of the stuff, but it actually converts iron oxide into another compound that is more stable.

People forget that oxygen is actually a horribly corrosive gas. Ever read a sci fi book where the alien planet has an acid atmosphere? That would be earth! Life had to evolve here to deal with the oxygen being generated once plants took over from single cell life. But it super charged the new life's metabolism and made possible little furry critters that could run fast.