Mites & Revolution (Selamectin)

When we got mites really bad on a couple of our chickens, I had the idea that Selamectin would work wonders. I turned here for advice but found so very little with keyword searches.

I just wanted to post my results because they seem significant.

MY Buff Orpington Roo was huddled down in the corner of his pen with little energy. I probably should have noticed sooner but I didn't. When we went into the pen he still didn't move. I looked at him and they were EVERYWHERE just sucking the life out of him. We trimmed away any extra feathers and plainly just panicked he was in such bad shape.

As a last ditch effort (we did not expect him to make it) I put an appropriate amount of Revolution in between his shoulderblades (5lb or so dose) and hoped for the best.

The next morning, he was up and around and eating, but we still saw mites.

Day 2 he was up, crowing & flapping & his comb was back to full color

Day 3 all the mites were dead, gone, history.

That was 3 weeks ago now, he's doing GREAT! I found the mites also on my Buff Orpington hens a few days later (4 pens over) but no one else. I treated the ladies, who also were pretty bad even though they acted healthy, looked healthy & continued to lay eggs for us. Within 3 days again, all mites, dead & gone.

So.. I'm not sure on the withdrawal period for this drug, because it is not labeled for chickens. But I am going with 30 days since that is when it would normally require reapplying for effectiveness.

Now.. here in the States, a Rx is required for Revolution. I buy it without a script online through PetShed in Australia.

I hope hope hope, this helps someone else at some point.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any experience with this please share!

Thanks for the info!

Thanks Dawn for sharing your experience. I recently purchased two hens and had them in an area of separation from my main flock and I am glad. Seven days after purchasing they still had not layed an egg so I'm searching for the cause. I found out they had mites.

Now I used sevin dust and planned on using it again today. Someone else recommended Adam Tick and Flea spray and I thought about using that. For now I will try what I have but I appreciate learning about this alternative method and may considering ordering for the future.

BTW, I love your logo.

Your Very Welcome of course!

Thanks FV, I made the logo myself, so I appreciate that.

I use revolution on my cats.

I have one that is very prone to ear mites. The Revolution takes care of it no problem.

When you figure you can use it on Kittens, one would think it would be ok for chickens.

I am going to use this on mine if they get mites.

Thanks so much!

Patti

Getting my new babys a week from Wednesday!

I noticed a different type of "mite" (lice?) on one of my chickens who was out in a grow out pen, it's not black, nor does it seem to live on the skin, but only on the feather shaft. Anyway.. the selamectin didn't do a thing for those guys... for them I powdered & used the Adam's flea & tick spray.

i just found out my chickens have an internal parasite i ordered selamectin. to treah them, my question is, how long after treating tthem can you start eating their eggs again? Misti

Our girl Tanikwa has a catastrophic case of Scaly Leg Mite which as newbies we thought was just a moult. The three other birds now have a mild case. Though we have been dunking their legs in a mixture of sunflower oil with traces of eucalyptus, lemongrass, rosemary and fenugreek, I spoke with the local vet who reminisced about her childhood on the farm using a very similar method. She said while it may sooth and alleviate the discomfort, it is a very slow treatment of the cause when compared to modern remedies. I queried using an Ivermectin treatment and was told it is perhaps far too potent for chickens. She had successfully trialled Revolution (Selamectin) on her birds and suggested we give it a bang.

Tonight we'll dunk the legs again but also apply the chemical remedy. Using a 120mg/ml preparation, the vet calculated a dosage of 0.1ml/kg. I'm very pleased to read DawnSuiters experience being positive and feel reassured in our efforts. Treatment for us will also include liberal application of pyrethrum throughout the birds quarters and free range hangouts, as well as replacement of all bedding materials and treatment of new material.

I'll share our results here if you don't mind. Fingers crossed.

...Well it's nearly been a week and what a turnaround Tanikwas health has made! Almost just like DawnSuiter, our girls burst into life Saturday morning with vigour and a lust for life we hadn't seen before. We couldn't find any mites around her shanks, but we couldn't previously anyway. Her appetite was strong, she was vocal, active, involved and had discovered a genuine zest. The next day, Tanikwas aspect had improved even more, and by the Monday she was full steam ahead. The largest improvement was noticed the day after the treatment, but each consecutive day saw further improvement. The treatment also worked on the other three birds, but as Tanikwas condition was the worst, the greatest change has occurred upon her. The scale has now begun to wither and so in a few days we'll give a soft gentle scrub to all the birds legs and feet.

We also refurbished the pen after drenching it with a pyrethrum spray, and you should've seen the bugs go running. It was an insecticidal holocaust, though I wonder how many of the little critters were beneficial in the food chain. Ah well, if any of them are keen enough, I'm sure they'll return, but for now we've made a tremendous difference in our small flocks health and wellbeing.

Revolution; it's been a revolution for us.

@DawnSuiter
Did you do the full tube? My Rx is for 5-15 lb cats. Full tube or a few drops? We have visible mites on 2 roosters, but I also have 6 adult hens and 29 pullets. I think I should at least zap all 8 adults.