Livestock Fecal Egg Counting Workshops
Animal Science
Melanie Barkley
EXTENSION EDUCATOR
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
BEDFORD
Abstract
Sheep and goat producers face challenges with internal parasites, which often result in poor animal health, reduced performance, and, in some cases, death. To address this issue, Extension developed the Livestock Fecal Egg Counting workshop to teach small ruminant producers how to conduct fecal egg counts. The objective of the workshop was to teach sheep and goat producers strategies to better manage internal parasites within their flocks or herds. The purpose of the workshop was to explain principles of collecting fecal samples, the types of eggs found in livestock manure samples, how to prepare samples for microscopic analysis, how to use a microscope, egg-counting procedures, and how to interpret the results. Two workshops were held at Penn State on Saturdays to accommodate part-time producers. The workshop emphasized a “learn by doing” approach, with producers following step-by-step instructions for using a microscope and setting up and analyzing fecal samples. Participants worked in small groups to prepare at least one fecal sample for analysis. Each group was assigned a microscope to count internal parasite eggs and then given instructions to calculate eggs per gram. A total of (N=48) people participated in the two workshops. Results of the post-evaluation (n=37) indicated 100% learned something new, 100% learned a moderate to extreme amount, and 100% planned to make changes. Five (N=23, n=5) participants from the February workshop responded to a postal follow-up survey, indicating that 100% adopted new practices, 100% changed their deworming practices, 20% submitted more fecal samples to their veterinarian, and 80% planned to conduct fecal sample analysis themselves next year. 80% indicated they were better able to identify animals that required deworming, resulting in an average of 10 fewer treatments per producer, valued at $576 in health care cost savings across all participants in the workshops. 40% experienced an average of 1.5 fewer animal deaths, equating to $7,200 across all participants. 25% reported the average weaning weight of their animals increased by 5 lbs., resulting in increased income of $3,465 across all participants. The total economic value of the program across all participants was $11,241.
Authors: Melanie Barkley
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Melanie Barkley EXTENSION EDUCATOR, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 15522