Faecal counts ??

devonbrion1998 · Dec 27, 2018

Thanks neilo, All makes sense il let you know when I get to the next stage when I get the slide ect.
I have had a word with the vet and there was a mix up with the samples, he tested all 6 as individual samples rather than mixing them together, hence the large bill,so i won't do that again

devonbrion1998 · Dec 27, 2018

oh and thanks for the bolus advice,I managed to get the hang of it, after a few spitting them out,so pretty confident with that job now.
That bunch of Lambs are flying now with the bolus and a good worming,just looking at the vets invoice, and I am embarrassed to say the highest was 7000 and the lowest was 1400
so you can imagine just how well they have come on.As they were a good age and looking ok i moved them on some good pasture that has never seen sheep only cattle without worming them...Big mistake!

Downton_shep · Dec 28, 2018

devonbrion1998 said:
oh and thanks for the bolus advice,I managed to get the hang of it, after a few spitting them out,so pretty confident with that job now.
That bunch of Lambs are flying now with the bolus and a good worming,just looking at the vets invoice, and I am embarrassed to say the highest was 7000 and the lowest was 1400
so you can imagine just how well they have come on.As they were a good age and looking ok i moved them on some good pasture that has never seen sheep only cattle without worming them...Big mistake!

Only a mistake if you don’t have any resistance.

devonbrion1998 · Dec 28, 2018

Not sure if there is any resistance or not, but when I can do my own samples I can check
after worming to see how well the wormer worked, think that's how it works?
I had to pull one out of that batch of lambs and housed as it was very light. he has doubled in size/weight in a month so I'm hoping I'm on the right track.
I must take my hat off to you guys that produce those real smart lambs, for all my efforts, no grass/feed or money spared I can't get even close.

2YardOfLard · Mar 4, 2019

neilo said:
For a couple of hundred quid you can assemble the kit to do it yourself. It really isn’t a very complicated procedure, or hard to count the eggs. The hardest bit is collecting the sample, which you are doing for the vet/MVF anyway.
The only ongoing cost is the occcasional bag of salt (I use dishwasher salt from Tesco) to mix up some saline/flotation solution, some freezer bags (Tesco again) to collect the poo in, and some batteries for the scales every once in a while.

The advantage of doing your own is that you can get a result while the sheep are gathered and in the yard, rather than having to regather once you get a result some time later. Also, because it’s so cheap and simple to do, you will do it more often, massively increasing your knowledge of what’s going on re worms.

Reviving this old thread please!
Just setting myself up for this.

Can anyone tell me a good place that won't fleece me for a refurbished microscope in decent condition?

What sort of weighing scales do I need?

Ta

2YardOfLard · Mar 4, 2019

devonbrion1998 said:
There, £49.99 + vat acrylic and £110 glass
Also, they said I need to use their flotation fluid
Trying to mix it myself will give a false reading and the count a waste of time.
Who said this was easy?

I'm waiting to hear back from a firm in USA that sells these for $20. I'm hoping that even with postage / tax etc they'll still be cheaper. Will let you know what they say.

dt995 · Mar 4, 2019

Bimbling around ebay -- what is "fixed mechanical stage"? Is that good or bad for this?

neilo · Mar 4, 2019

2YardOfLard said:
Reviving this old thread please!
Just setting myself up for this.

Can anyone tell me a good place that won't fleece me for a refurbished microscope in decent condition?

What sort of weighing scales do I need?

Ta

I had to buy another microscope last summer, and bought a refurbished one from Apex/Brunel microscopes. Not the cheapest of the cheap, but very good value for a decent quality scope.

https://www.apexmicroscopes.co.uk/ Give them a ring, as they might have refurbed scopes that would suit, but not on the website.

As to the scales, any set that can accurately weigh down to a few grams will do. After my FekPak set died, I very generously allowed Mrs NeilO to buy a new set for the kitchen, after I pinched her Tesco digital scales.

I know, I spoil her rotten sometimes.

2YardOfLard · Mar 6, 2019

Sorry - me again. You’ll tell me when I’m being a nuisance?!

I’m interested to know if you all use a mirror illumination for your microscopes, or integral electric light?

I’ve narrowed the choice down to two used, refurbished ones that are about the same price and are both from reputable places. One has mirrored illumination & the other has an internal bulb.
I’m wondering if mirror would mean I can use it in the barn or even on the tail-gate of the pickup(!) and the mirrored sort would mean there'd be less to break & I wouldn't need to source spares (bulbs?). Set against that I’m guessing that a more reliable internal electric light would make counting easier?

neilo · Mar 6, 2019

2YardOfLard said:
Sorry - me again. You’ll tell me when I’m being a nuisance?!

I’m interested to know if you all use a mirror illumination for your microscopes, or integral electric light?

I’ve narrowed the choice down to two used, refurbished ones that are about the same price and are both from reputable places. One has mirrored illumination & the other has an internal bulb.
I’m wondering if mirror would mean I can use it in the barn or even on the tail-gate of the pickup(!) and the mirrored sort would mean there'd be less to break & I wouldn't need to source spares (bulbs?). Set against that I’m guessing that a more reliable internal electric light would make counting easier?

My old (FekPak) microscope had a mirror and I found it a pita. When looking for a replacement, a bulb was near the top of my list. I find it a lot easier to use.

However, I only ever use mine at the farm, where it is set up permanently. If I was to use it out in the field, as @Tim W does iirc, then a mirror would be a lot handier.

Most newer microscopes have an LED bulb, which should last pretty well forever with the occasional use that FEC needs.

Tim W · Mar 6, 2019

I've got a mirrored 'scope ----works great everywhere, tailgate of pickup...barn---home
Simple adaptable & i do about 200 FEC/yr

2YardOfLard · Mar 7, 2019

There, £49.99 + vat acrylic and £110 glass

You can get two acrylic ones for £30 plus vat , plus postage from here http://www.microscopy.uk.com/
(£15 each but the minimum order is two)
The green grid ones that are supposed to be easier to see, are £40 for two.

(They're made by the USA company that I was waiting for a reply from. They're $15 there & they will sell to Europe but they quoted me $75 postage!!)

ShooTa · Dec 8, 2019

just to update this - ended up getting an apex micro - have been doing regular tests with it since july/aug and its been a winner - and at a saving of £15 going to vets (did a few comparison tests to check i was on the ball) rather than my own time (im getting faster at the ident now) is worth the expense of the microscope.

i wonder did you get on well with the fluke tests instructions that were posted earlier?

Tim W · Dec 9, 2019

ShooTa said:
just to update this - ended up getting an apex micro - have been doing regular tests with it since july/aug and its been a winner - and at a saving of £15 going to vets (did a few comparison tests to check i was on the ball) rather than my own time (im getting faster at the ident now) is worth the expense of the microscope.

i wonder did you get on well with the fluke tests instructions that were posted earlier?

DIY FEC is a great tool --- i would also be interested in anyone's fluke test experiences as i haven't found any yet despite taking on very wet ground (done blood tests to confirm no fluke)

I've also developed ''microscope envy '' after using a neighbors posh new binocular scope

ISCO · Dec 9, 2019

I assembled my own fec kit off eBay earlier this year and it has been a great saving and more tests done.
The only.problem I have is The plastic tea strainer I use is very slow no matter how much I mix the solution it blocks up. Does anyone else have this problem.

Downton_shep · Dec 9, 2019

ISCO said:
I assembled my own fec kit off eBay earlier this year and it has been a great saving and more tests done.
The only.problem I have is The plastic tea strainer I use is very slow no matter how much I mix the solution it blocks up. Does anyone else have this problem.

Just buy a new one. When I bought mine it was a pack of three. Fine, medium and large. I just use the medium one. Think they were in the pound isle.

Downton_shep · Dec 9, 2019

I still haven’t found any signs of fluke yet. Could do with getting a positive sample from somewhere just to make sure I’m doing it right.

Faecal counts ??

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Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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