Adding essential oil to water reservoir in incubator?

[romea]

Has anyone experimented with the addition of essential oils that have antiviral and antimicrobial properties (such as Tea Tree Oil) to the water that evaporates inside the incubator?
I am not pouring water into the bottom of my incubator but am using a separate glass container instead. And I am thinking that adding a few drops of Lemongrass, Lavender or Tea Tree Oil might be beneficial to control any potential bacterial load circulating in the incubator.

 

[Happy Hill Farmstead]

I think that's an excellent idea, but I don't know about the safety maybe someone else will; I would definitely try it myself

 

[SilverBirds]

I would not. It's really unnecessary health wise and I think even a few drops of essential oils would be overbearing in that small of a space.

 

[nuthatched]

Tea tree is toxic to birds. I would not recommend you add anything but water to your incubator, the oils would likely coat the eggs causing breathing loss and possible egg fatality.

 

[Happy Hill Farmstead]

I didn’t think about the strength in such a small space, I guess that would be like setting eggs in a diffuser…probably not an excellent idea like I thought earlier

 

[Susan Skylark]

I don’t like walking around our local general store when the lady has her potpourri lit, can you imagine being stuck in a humid plastic bubble fighting for your life (hatching) and breathing heavily from exertion with some noxious plant fumes in the air (if they are toxic to bacteria or other living cells they are noxious!)? Birds have very delicate respiratory tracts, as do neonates of any species, now combine them. As for actually effectively killing bacteria in a warm moist environment contaminated with organic material with some sort of aerosol , you’re not going to make much difference unless you are planning on using a substance effective at gas sterilization which is really bad news for chicks! You could probably spray some Lysol in there (please don’t!) and actually kill bacteria (and birds) as well, just because you can doesn’t mean you should, thanks for asking first! I know people love their essential oils, but they can be highly toxic, especially to cats and birds, seek professional help in these cases!

 

[romea]

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful input!
I was looking into this question after reading about a meta-analysis of papers that explore the use of essential oils (EO) for egg sanitation as a substitute for the use of Formaldehyde (FA) in commercial operations. (FA is toxic to humans [and poultry] - especially re: repeated exposure in commercial production facilities where workers are constantly handling sanitized eggs, and birds are subsequently exposed to it.)

I understand the concerns raised and I should clarify that I am currently only exploring the question whether there might be potential benefits to applying a few drops of non-synthetic (pure) plant oils for a short time during the first week or two of incubation (- not during lockdown).
By that I mean the addition of 2-3 drops to a jar of water and letting this sit for a while, then replacing it with plain water again. This is not comparable to a diffuser that powers out a constant stream, 'nebulizing' the air. I am also referring to a quality product without synthetically created compounds and additives.

In any event, this is just a thought I wanted to run past you and I again thank you for your replies!

1 more thing re: the toxicity of certain EOs (e.g. Tea Tree): every credible report I found re: toxicity was based on the exposure of the animal to the undiluted (!) version of an EO - be that through direct application of drops (accidental or deliberate) or ingestion. It is unclear if birds exposed to vapours reacted to compounds of the oil or to impurities/synthetics in it.

For those interested in that meta-study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10456749/