Worm and Fluke Counts at the Ayr Store
Bring a fresh dung sample in to Ayr and we run the count for you on a Micron Kit. You do not need any equipment of your own — you need a sample and about the time it takes to have a cup of tea.
A Count, Run While You Are In
This is a service, not a product. The kit is ours, it lives in the Ayr store, and one of our trained staff runs your sample through it.
| System | Micron Agritech |
|---|---|
| Store | Ayr |
| Price | From £10.83 + VAT |
| Turnaround | Usually the same day |
| What you bring | A fresh dung sample, kept cool |
| What you take away | A report, and somebody qualified to read it with you |
Ring Ayr before you set off, on 01292 262 576. It is turned round the same day when trained staff are on, and a wasted trip is a poor advert for testing.
Kinross runs counts as well, on a different system — a FECPAKG2, at £14.73 + VAT. Worm egg counting at Kinross.
Three Reasons to Count Before You Dose
You Buy Less Product
Blanket dosing treats every animal whether it needs it or not. A count tells you which group actually carries a burden worth treating, so the wormer goes where it earns its money instead of down the throat of stock that were fine.
You Keep Your Wormers Working
Every unnecessary dose selects for the worms that survived it. Anthelmintic resistance does not go away once it is on a farm, and the products that replace a failed one are dearer and fewer.
You Handle Fewer Animals
Gathering and dosing a whole batch is a day. Narrowing it to the group that needs it is an afternoon — and that is before you count the stress on stock that did not need putting through a race.
Fluke and coccidia as well as worms. The Micron system reports gastrointestinal worms, coccidia and liver fluke depending on the species, across cattle, sheep and horses. On wet Ayrshire ground fluke is the bigger question for a good part of the year, which is the main reason this one sits at Ayr.
What Happens to Your Sample
You Bring It In
A fresh sample, collected the same day, kept cool and airtight, and kept separate per management group rather than pooled. Tell us at the counter what the group is, what they were treated with last and when, and what you are seeing in them.
We Prepare It
The sample is made up at the counter using the kit’s own consumables and spun down. That is the part that takes the time — about five minutes of the cycle.
The Reader Films It
The slide goes into the reader and the reader records it. Because the analysis works from an image rather than somebody at a microscope, the picture survives the test instead of going down the sink.
You Get a Report, and a Conversation
The result comes back as a PDF you can keep, send on, or put into a health plan. Micron put the whole cycle at under ten minutes once it is under way. The more useful part is the two minutes after it, with an SQP.
What Can Honestly Be Said About Accuracy
Micron publish results from VetQAS proficiency testing — the Veterinary Quality Assurance Scheme — comparing the system against participating laboratories, and report scores sitting close to the consensus value. That is a recognised external scheme rather than a marketing line, and it is the strongest thing that can fairly be claimed for it.
What it does not do is replace your vet’s judgement, or a laboratory where one is genuinely needed. A count is one input. Which group, which active, when to re-test — that is the conversation to have with an SQP, and every one of our representatives is one.
Count again after you treat. A drench that has not brought the number down the way it should is the first sign of resistance on your farm, and it is far better found on your terms than in a bad year. Ask at the counter when to take the second sample — it depends on the active.
Parasite Testing Questions
Where can I get a worm egg count done near Ayr?
At the McCaskie store in Ayr. Bring a fresh dung sample in and we run the count for you on a Micron Agritech system, from £10.83 + VAT. It is a service — you do not need to own any equipment. Ring 01292 262 576 first, because it needs trained staff on that day.
How much does a worm egg count cost at McCaskie?
From £10.83 + VAT for a count run at Ayr on the Micron system, and £14.73 + VAT at Kinross on a FECPAKG2.
How long do the results take?
Usually the same day, provided trained staff are in. The analysis itself is quick — Micron put the test cycle at under ten minutes once the sample is being processed.
What does the Micron system test for?
Gastrointestinal worms, coccidia and liver fluke, depending on the species. It covers cattle, sheep and horses.
How should I collect and store the sample?
Fresh, collected the same day, kept cool and airtight until it reaches us, and kept separate per management group rather than pooled. Heat and air are what spoil a count.
Is a faecal egg count a substitute for asking the vet?
No. It tells you what is there; it does not tell you what to do about it. Which group, which active and when to re-test is a conversation with an SQP or your vet.
Ask at any of the four stores — Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling — or ring 01786 474 481. There is a qualified SQP in every store.
Get your rep out