{"id":35783,"date":"2026-05-18T14:10:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T04:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/?p=35783"},"modified":"2026-05-25T15:53:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T05:53:56","slug":"how-to-take-fecal-egg-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/how-to-take-fecal-egg-counts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to take Fecal Egg Counts"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Know What’s Actually Going on Inside Your Horse \u2014 The Fecal Egg Count Explained<\/span><\/h1>\n

In my last post I talked about worming horses out of habit \u2014 and why that calendar-based approach is something we really need to move away from. I promised to follow up with the *how* \u2014 specifically, how you actually measure what’s going on with your horse’s worm burden. That’s where the Fecal Egg Count (FEC) comes in.<\/p>\n

If you haven’t heard of one before, don’t worry. By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly what it is, how it’s done, and how to get one \u2014 whether you want someone else to handle it or you’d like to give it a go yourself.<\/p>\n

Fecal egg counts aren\u2019t perfect for estimating worm burden, but they\u2019re the best tool we have right now for monitoring egg shedding on pasture and are an important part of parasite management. The only way to truly know a horse\u2019s total worm load is to look inside and that can only happen with an autopsy.<\/p>\n

What Is a Fecal Egg Count?<\/h2>\n

\"\"A Fecal Egg Count \u2014 also written as FEC or sometimes called a Worm Egg Count (WEC) \u2014 is exactly what it sounds like. A fresh sample of your horse’s manure is examined under a microscope to count the number of worm eggs present per gram of faeces. That number, called the EPG (eggs per gram), tells you how many eggs the adult worms living in your horse’s gut are shedding at that point in time.<\/p>\n

It’s a simple, non-invasive test that gives you actual data. Instead of guessing whether your horse may need worming, you have much better information to base decisions on.<\/p>\n

Why:<\/p>\n