Time to get serious - fecal equipment

[Rowena]

I "overheard" some of you who are set up to do your own fecals. Where do I start? The scientist in me and my youngest are yearning to see creepy crawleys, hopefully not though for the goat's sake!

[goatsareus]

this is where I bought mine, i got the kit that comes with every thing you need...only the scale was junk so I bought a good one on eBay...

http://www.biogenicsltd.com/fecal.html

oh, I just looked at this ad and I don't use some of the stuff they send...I mix my own saline solution and use the mcmasters' slide....the text book would be extra $$

[Sweet Goats]

Here are a few good sites for help on Fecal

http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issu...onnersman.html

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/fecals.htm

http://www.jackmauldin.com/fecal_testing_equipt.htm

I made my own solution and I bought my scope on Ebay. You have to be patient to find a good deal.

I use the slides that are just the flat ones and the slide covers. All that was bought on ebay.

[DQ]

i bought my microscope at hobby lobby and slides and cover slips a at a store geared toward homeschooling (the homeschooling store didn't have any decent microscopes).

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

You can go cheap on your microscope (I got mine at a pawn shop) I also make up my own saturated salt solution with just water on the stove and stirring in salt. I use test tubes and tongue depressors I got from my vet and a small glass eyedropper I have no idea where I got it. Do pop for a McMasters slide, being able to count eggs per gram is a biggy. It would be cheaper to pick up a good book on the internet than buying a new copy. There are also excellent pics already up on the internet Karin Christinsens, saanendoah.com site etc....

Biggy is if you can find a parisitology class in your area, we are a stones throw from A&M so I am lucky to have been taught by someone doing goat fecals for a living. I wasn't taught to use a scale, and wasn't taught to do a true fecal float with the slide touching the top of the container to collect the eggs, gives you way too much stuff in your field of vision...so YMMV with how you are taught with what stuff you need to buy.

Make sure your microscope has it's own light soruce and not relfectors. Vicki

[Rowena]

I think we already have a lot of stuff!! Thanks everybody, great input!!