Fec count

[1982]

Did a fec count on a bunch of lambs 3weeks ago and came back as 850 for worms and very very low for cocci.Gave them a yellow drench and they started to dry up but after a fortnight 7 or 8 in the bunch started to get really dirty and now theres 20 dirty in the bunch of 100.Did another fec count yesterday and both worms and cocci are very low.Any ideas?muck is coming through them like water

 

[Frodo]

I did a Fec and also low, we put the dirty back ends down to the lush clover grass, they have dried up a bit since.

I would Be interested in people’s opinion on doing Fec. I suspect a lot just worm anyway.

 

[1982]

They are ewe lambs on pretty bare pasture so i wouldnt expect grass to go through them

 

[Poorbuthappy]

If theyre on bare dirty pasture they may be injesting lots of worms so take a fec again in a week or so. Those worms just won't have matured enough to be shedding eggs.

Alternatively have you done any bloods for TEs? Copper in particular I think can be an issue with scouring.

 

[neilo]

Iodine deficiency shows here as ill thrift in lambs, with sh*t running out of them like black water. They look just like they are riddled with worms, but low FEC, and a dose of wormer from a shepherd doubting his own FEC testing doesn't dry them up. An Iodine drench (or any cheap TE drench containing I) dries them up almost overnight.

Trace elements will likely be low in grass that's growing like the clappers and very low DM.

I am seeing Nematodirus in lambs at the moment too, without many eggs present. A mass hatch after the rain probably, and no immunity in the lambs as they didn't see a challenge earlier (April born lambs didn't even have a drench until weaning). A cheap white wormer dried those up.