Search results

Faecal egg counts, larval cultures and other diagnostic methods can be used to assess the level of worm infestation in stock, and whether drench treatments have been effective. … Worm diagnostics …

If you want the best information from your worm monitoring, make sure you collect fresh samples and store them correctly. Here’s a quick guide.  … It’s best to collect fresh samples by quietly moving the mob of animals to a corner and letting them stand for 5–10 minutes, and then collecting what has been dropped.   If it’s not possible to hold a mob somewhere , just let them drift quietly away from you through a gateway or narrow area. Ideally collect ones you’ve actually seen pass out the back …

What type of worm laid those eggs? Faecal egg counts tell us how many worm eggs our stock are passing. Larval cultures tell us what worm genus the eggs are from.   … Larval cultures are normally done at an animal health laboratory. Eggs are incubated and  hatched out; the resulting larvae are identified under a microscope. Larval cultures identify worms to the ‘genus’ level (not ‘species') – e.g. Trichostrongylus worms are reported as ‘Trichstrongylus’ , not ‘ T colubriformis’ or ‘ T vitrinus’ …

What’s the story with genetics for worm management? Aren’t worm-resistant sheep poor performers? What’s the difference between resistance and resilience? Who’s CarLA (hint: It’s not your sister’s mate from Temuka). Resistant sheep have high immunity to worms and pass less worm eggs in their faeces. Resilient sheep continue to grow and perform despite worm challenge. Both traits are being measured and selected by NZ sheep breeders – you can buy rams that will improve these traits in your flock. …

A list of various papers on alternative options for worm control can be found at the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control. A good local review is provided on Deer Industry New Zealand’s Deer Hub website (pages 63–74).  … A range of different ‘natural’ products, herbs and minerals are sometimes advocated as treatments or preventives for worm infections in livestock. This page is by no means a complete list. But here we review some commonly mentioned ones, and available …

If only we didn’t have to collect poo, but we do!!! Faecal egg counts can be done on individual samples or on a bulk sample (composite samples). Learn about when you might use one or the other. … A faecal egg count (FEC) is a measure of the number of egg-laying adult worms in an animal’s gut. It mostly doesn’t show what species of worms are there.   Faecal egg counts can be used to help assess:  Whether sick sheep or young cattle are sick because of worms. How quickly young animals are becoming …