WHY FEC TEST?
Faecal egg count (FEC) testing with FECPAKG2 Test Kits can significantly reduce drench use, increase weight gain and improve animal welfare.
Visibility of parasites
FEC testing gives you an indication of the level of worms/parasites affecting your animals. With this information, you can make informed choices about treatment, livestock grazing and prevent pasture contamination for future grazers.
Take the guesswork out of your parasite management
Without FEC testing, you may treat animals when it's not needed or avoid treatment because they appear healthy. By the time they start looking like they need treatment, the damage and lost production have already occurred.
Regular FEC testing helps you treat at the right time and improves production outcomes.
Adjust treatment schedule
When you use FEC testing to understand the parasite burden in your animals, you can adjust when you treat them, based on evidence. Instead of sticking to a set schedule, you treat them when it's necessary.
- Parasites presence depends on factors like; temperature, moisture, pasture conditions, the type of grass they eat
- Parasites don't follow a calendar
- Most importantly - parasites presence depends on the health of the animal
- A well-fed animal is less likely to have problems with parasites than one that's not in good condition
Understand larval challenge
Standard oral drench usually has a kill time of 24-48hrs. Once that drench has cleaned out the burden in the animal (provided it has worked) animals will start eating parasites and building that burden up again. It’s important to limit the number of larvae animals are ingesting. FEC testing can help you understand what the larval challenge on each paddock is.
FEC test after treatment
By FEC testing after treatment, you can ensure that your drench has killed the parasites in your animals effectively. Post-treatment FECs for sheep should be taken 10 days after drenching, and for cattle, 14 days.
Get started with a FECPAKG2 Test Kit
Getting started with your own Test Kit is simple. You can grab yours from selected Farmlands stores across the country, or get in touch below.