While farmers are used to using egg count results, and using other signs to judge health of sheep and the right time to drench, Anderson told a recent Beef + Lamb field day (see p37) that getting your own microscope and slides can potentially reduce the number of times you reach for the drench gun.
"Drenches are getting more and more expensive... If you can find a way to cut down on the amount of drench you're using, do it," he stressed.
Faecal egg counts should be taken from 10 individual samples of at least 10 different sheep. Count the eggs inside frames on the slide and multiply by 50.
The range and the average are important but Anderson says it is not as important as what else is happening on the farm.
"It's a management tool: it doesn't replace your brain, it just gives you an extra bit of information. You still use climate; you still use your knowledge of the farm."
