Don’t guess…test! Worm Egg Counts
September 18, 2025
Learn to do your own worm egg counts
Worm egg counts are a key part of a sustainable parasite control plan and are essential in knowing when worming is required….and when it’s not!
We have a number of clients now undertaking their own counts on farm allowing them to test as often as they want, get results and act quickly.
If you are interested in learning to do your own worm egg count, we can offer training at the practice and advice on purchasing the equipment needed.
The cost is £60 (ex VAT) per session; Flock Health Club members receive a discounted price of £50. For more information or to book, please call the surgery.
More on worm egg counts…
Rather than guessing when to worm your animals, faecal worm egg counts should be used to test whether worming is required.
At Towcester Vets, we can carry out individual worm egg counts for £17.64 excVAT, or pooled counts for £28.30 excVAT. For pooled counts, please bring 10-15 individual samples from each group that requires testing. Our worm egg counts are suitable for sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens. Faecal samples from camelids must be sent away to a specialist laboratory. Please contact the practice before bringing in faecal samples so we can gather the relevant information and get them booked in.
After carrying out the counts, a vet will be in touch with you to discuss the best course of action. If worming is required, post-treatment counts are recommended to assess whether the wormer has been effective. These should be carried out 7 days after treatment with a yellow drench, or 14 days after treatment with any other category of wormer.
Resistance to wormers is becoming an increasing concern in the UK, meaning that many worms are no longer killed by worming products. Therefore, it is essential to only worm animals when necessary and assess wormer effectiveness using pre-treatment and post-treatment WECs. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway can be used to claim funding for health planning in sheep and cattle, including developing a farm-specific worm control plan with a drench check test in sheep.
During 2025, we are offering your 10th WEC for free!
Further information:
https://www.cattleparasites.org.uk/
