Fecal egg counts

ani's ark · #1 10/10/12, 12:47 AM

And another question from a bored bedridden goat lady...

How easy is it to do your own fecals? I vaguely recall conversations about it in the archives. DH and I are both children of scientists and are very excited about faeces, sorry, fecal egg counts, as a way to geek out together, save money on vet bills, and maybe even make a penny helping others out for less than the vet charges.

What do you need to learn to do them - a microscope and slides, dyes, some knowledge of what eggs relate to what species of parasite. Do you take a course, use a website or textbook?

BTW, I found this NZ web referrence to willows for parasite control in sheep, could be of value to someone, anyone - I'll be planting some more willow trees I think!

NZ Farm Forestry - Managing poplars and willows on farms

CaliannG · #2 10/10/12, 12:56 AM

Sleepy. Going to bed now. But here ya go:

Fias Co Farm/Goat- How to run your own fecal samples

ani's ark · #3 10/10/12, 01:17 AM

Perfect. Thank you- sleep well!

ani's ark · #4 10/13/12, 01:15 AM

Yay! We have a possible microscope for **Freeeeee** from a family member who works for Agricultural Research. That is such a blessing given our always tight budget! And as DH is studying for a science degree by correspondence he can do his next assignment on "fecal egg counts on goats". How handy. I see a battle over who gets to look down the microscope...