Revolution Plus

[Chicken Minion]

Is Revolution Plus safe to use on chickens? I've searched and searched (on this forum and elsewhere) and am not able to find the answer. My chickens' vet is who recommended using Revolution to treat scaly leg mites, but after I got it home I realized they sent me home with Revolution PLUS (with sarolaner, brand name Simparica). I'm not sure if it was a mistake or if this is what she meant to send. Since she can't legally prescribe it for my chickens, she instead prescribed it for my cat, so it's possible the assistant may have grabbed the wrong thing, thinking it's for my cat. I would just call the vet to confirm but I want to treat my chickens this weekend and the vet office is closed until Monday.

 

[aart]

Leg mites can easily be killed by smearing vaseline over and under the scales twice a week for a few weeks....no need to add a systemic pesticide to your chickens bodies and their eggs.

 

[Chicken Minion]

Leg mites can easily be killed by smearing vaseline over and under the scales twice a week for a few weeks....no need to add a systemic pesticide to your chickens bodies and their eggs.

Thank you, sincerely, but I'm not looking for tips on other methods to use; I'm just wondering if sarolaner is safe to use on chickens. I've already tried the Vaseline method, as well as the Nettex scaly leg mite spray, and both did seem to help some but they always come back before the problem is even completely resolved. I need a quicker and more effective method to use on my 29 chickens in my extremely busy schedule. I don't eat my chickens and I'm not too concerned about throwing away the eggs for a while. I've done a lot of research on the topic and people seem to have had pretty great success with Revolution and an extra-thorough coop cleaning, so that's what I plan to try next. I'm just not sure if I should ditch the Revolution PLUS and order some regular Revolution instead.

The sarolaner part of the medication is for fleas and ticks, and we've had a pretty bad tick problem this year... much worse than previous years since I've had my chickens. I've removed several ticks from their faces this year, and I'm sure there are plenty that I'm not even seeing. So if sarolaner is a safe option, I would rather use that than something that doesn't help with the ticks.

 

[aart]

but they always come back before the problem is even completely resolved.

How do you know they are still active?
It can take weeks or months for the scales to be replaced, if they ever are.
Long untreated infestations can destroy the scale beds so new scales cannot grow.

There's no way to know how long these chemicals might remain within the bird as they've never been tested for residual amounts in egg or meat.

 

[Chicken Minion]

How do you know they are still active?
It can take weeks or months for the scales to be replaced, if they ever are.
Long untreated infestations can destroy the scale beds so new scales cannot grow.

There's no way to know how long these chemicals might remain within the bird as they've never been tested for residual amounts in egg or meat.

The only way I can tell is by the improvement in the condition of their legs, followed by later thickening and raising of the scales. Their legs visibly improve but never get to the point of full recovery before the mites strike again. I probably shouldn't have said "before the problem is completely resolved"; probably more accurate would be just to say the problem keeps coming back. I really have no way of knowing if the problem has been fixed and then returned, or if I've never fully eradicated it to begin with.

It's really difficult and time consuming for me to rub Vaseline on all my chickens' legs even once, let alone twice a week for several weeks. Some of my chickens are pets and are very cooperative, and others have never really been handled before as they came to me as adult rescues who had never been handled when I got them. And I'm trying to do this all by myself on a very busy schedule. I understand the downside of using a systemic medication, but for me personally, it's worth it if it it's quick and simple and does the trick.

I mentioned all this to my chicken vet last time I brought a hen in. I mentioned that I was about to try the gasoline method and I really didn't want to have to go that route. She looked at my hen's legs/feet and suggested the Revolution. Her (almost exact) words were "If you really want to get rid of the mites, my suggestion would be to use Revolution".

 

[aart]

I have had several birds with SLM, some were treated others were not.
It didn't seem to spread to all the birds.

How many birds do you have and...
....Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Chicken Minion]

How many birds do you have and...
....Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.

Good idea, and done! I live in NW Washington, where it's almost always cool and damp. We've had really strange weather this year for this area though.

I currently have 29 chickens but I need to rehome/sell at least a dozen of them in a hurry. I hatched out 16 chicks this year and 12 of them ended up being little roos. I have 6 or 7 cockerels I don't plan on treating for leg mites since they don't show any signs and will more than likely end up becoming somebody's dinner; I don't want to put any meds into their bodies if I don't absolutely have to because I don't have time to wait through a withdrawal period before selling them. I'm keeping one, and the rest I'm really hoping to rehome as flock roosters so it's important that I make sure they aren't bringing any mites or other parasites with them to their new flocks.

All of my adult orpingtons have or have had scaly leg mites, and it gets especially bad in those with feathered legs (which I've read is typical). So far though, my americaunas and copper maran mixes have not shown any signs of the mites. Are certain breeds more susceptible?

 

[aart]

All of my adult orpingtons have or have had scaly leg mites, and it gets especially bad in those with feathered legs (which I've read is typical). So far though, my americaunas and copper maran mixes have not shown any signs of the mites. Are certain breeds more susceptible?

Oh... Feathered legs....makes it harder to treat with ointment/oil.
I don't think any breed is more susceptible, tho the feathered legs may be a more hospitable environment for the mites, but some birds seem more susceptible as I have some with it and some older birds that have never had them. Not sure why tho.

 

[Kdblum]

I know I’m late to the party but has the same question and found this. https://www.exzolt.com/docs/Exzolt Technical Booklet (Full).pdf
It’s not sarolanar but the same drug class

 

[Ponypoor]

Good idea, and done! I live in NW Washington, where it's almost always cool and damp. We've had really strange weather this year for this area though.

I currently have 29 chickens but I need to rehome/sell at least a dozen of them in a hurry. I hatched out 16 chicks this year and 12 of them ended up being little roos. I have 6 or 7 cockerels I don't plan on treating for leg mites since they don't show any signs and will more than likely end up becoming somebody's dinner; I don't want to put any meds into their bodies if I don't absolutely have to because I don't have time to wait through a withdrawal period before selling them. I'm keeping one, and the rest I'm really hoping to rehome as flock roosters so it's important that I make sure they aren't bringing any mites or other parasites with them to their new flocks.

All of my adult orpingtons have or have had scaly leg mites, and it gets especially bad in those with feathered legs (which I've read is typical). So far though, my americaunas and copper maran mixes have not shown any signs of the mites. Are certain breeds more susceptible?

Did you ever find out about the Revolution Plus? Did you use it? Just wondering as I have a Roo with lice, normally I would treat with ivermectin but I have access to Revolution Plus for my cat - would rather not have to purchase more if I don’t have to!