Fecal Testing - A MUST!!!

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Once I was blind but now I can see!!!
That was how I felt after FINALLY learning how to do our own fecal testing. We now believe that it is a MUST for any breeder that is serious about the health of their herd. It is especially powerful if you combine it with a simplified FAMACHA system.

What is "fecal testing"? -
It is the ability for the breeder to really determine if an animal has parasites and how serious it is. It only requires a basic microscope, microscope slides, a small container like your prescription pills come in, and a flotation fluid.  And, of course, goat pellets or scours. We will write a detailed article later about these requirements and how to do it

What is the "FAMACHA " system?
The FAMACHAŠ system is a method for managing haemonchosis (stomach worms) in sheep and goats by clinically identifying individual animals for treatment. The color of an animal's eyelid is analyzed to determine if the animal is anemic or not.

What are the benefits?
There are major benefits to the breeder that can do their own fecal testing. See if you have ever had any of the questions listed below.

  • Is it time to deworm again or should I wait?
  • Is my current dewormer medication working?
  • Does all of your herd need deworming?
  • When an animal has the scours, is it because of worms, coccidia, or just something they ate?
  • Are the worms becoming resistant to your current dewormer?
  • What does the color of your animal's eyelid mean?
  • Do you have any animals that are naturally more resistant to worms?
  • Is an animal that is off their food wormy or do they have some other problem?
  • When an animal's coat gets rough looking, is it worms or a winter coat?

Summary
We are working on developing our parasite management process and how we will approach sick animals when worms may be a possibility? We are developing our parasite management process to minimize unnecessary deworming and focusing on identifying which animals are more naturally resistant to parasites. This process will be documented later on our web site.