Faecal egg count testing: Make it count

Faecal egg count (FEC) testing is a valuable parasite management tool available on every farm.

The level of parasite challenge not only varies from farm to farm, but also year on year. This is due to several factors, with one of these being the weather and change in seasons, meaning the worm burden throughout the year can often alter and be unpredictable.

Internal parasite infestation can have an extensive negative impact on farm productivity, performance and animal health and welfare. Carrying out FEC testing can help farmers to make more informed judgements about the need to treat, which in turn, can have a positive impact on ensuring that anthelmintics are used only when needed and to target the correct parasite.

What is faecal egg count testing and why is it important?

A faecal egg count is a test that counts the number of worm eggs in Sheep faeces and can be used to monitor the worm burden in Sheep. In some instances, you are also able to use a faecal egg count to detect Adult Fluke eggs and Coccidia.

As the farming industry has evolved, worm control has become more dependent on anthelmintic treatments, which has led to widespread resistance. Simple but effective, FEC testing not only monitors the parasite status throughout the grazing season but can also help monitor the efficacy of treatments and prevent unnecessary treatments.

By testing and working closely with your local RAMA or vet, you can start to understand the worm burden on your farm and from there, an effective on-farm worming strategy that is specific to each group of animals/farm can be put in place.

How is FEC testing carried out and what are the testing options?

The test is straight forward and involves taking samples from fresh dung of grazing animals. This can be as a mob or individual animals. As faecal egg testing provides a snapshot of what is going on at that moment in time, ideally, tests should be used as a monitoring tool throughout the grazing season and carried out every 3-4 weeks.

There are several different FEC testing options and these include:

·       Through your vet

·       Using an on-farm postal kit

·       Using a testing service which is provided by your local merchant. Many of our Downland partners offer a FEC testing service and would be happy to help.

Test. Even if you don’t think you have a problem

With a high % of farms resistant to one wormer group or more, a farm may have resistance within its flock which isn’t necessarily visible to the eye. By incorporating regular testing, you can make informed decisions by identifying the requirement to treat and with the correct anthelmintic.

It’s also good practice to always test before treating, as there might not be a need to worm the animals at all, which is better for avoiding development of resistance, better for the environment and better for your pocket.

If you need to treat your animals, it is important to discuss the options with your animal health advisor (RAMA) to make sure you’re opting for the right management strategy for your farm, using the correct product and at the correct time.

For more advice, please speak to your local Downland advisor.