Use regular worm egg counts to monitor your birds for signs of parasite infection. Only when the test indicates worms are present will you then need to step in with a treatment. Checking your flock in this way will help to give you peace of mind that your birds aren’t carrying unwelcome parasites that will impact their health, while reducing the need for regular worming doses.
The term poultry used here includes chicken, duck, goose, guinea fowl, pigeon, partridge, pheasant, quail and turkey. If you'd like a different bird species testing then please contact us for details. We can't test birds that feed off carrion because of the possible risk of zoonoses that our laboratory is not set up to handle.
Using worm counts
You can choose to test individual birds or to test a composite sample from groups that are housed together. We advise submitting one sample for every 5 birds if using this method with a larger flock. Test every three months to use targeted worm control for your chickens. Choose a time when your chickens have not been recently wormed as this could give a false negative result.
We use the industry standard modified McMaster technique using a centrifuge to separate out any eggs as well as removing the sediment from the sample, making it much easier to identify them under the microscope – this method is far superior to a simple strained method.
When can a worm count be useful?
Choose a time to worm check when your chickens have not been recently wormed as a recent dose could give a false negative result.
- Test late in the year during or after the moult, so that you know your birds are going into the winter worm free.
- Test Jan-March ready for the breeding season or to ensure good egg production in Spring
- Test newly acquired stock
- Test an individual you are concerned about
- A general check during the laying season
Direct From the Lab
Order a pack through or secure online shop or call us on 01670 791994. Your pack will contain all you need to collect and send samples including a postage paid return envelope and pre- paid vouchers for the laboratory testing. Choose how many samples to submit and purchase the appropriate number of kits.
Purchase a Westgate Retail Pack
Available from all good feed merchants, Westgate worm count kits are also available in your local store in our compostable pouches. Naturally it’s the same award winning service that customers already know and trust, backed up with advice from experienced SQPs if you should require it.
Please note: we do not supply our service through any other manufacturer so make sure you ask for the Westgate Labs service by name!
