Digital hanging scale that can be read from above?

[Katpau]

We tag and weigh each of our newborn calves with a hanging scale, out in the pasture, wherever they are born. I have used both mechanical and digital scales, and would prefer the digital because they are usually smaller and lighter. My problem is that every one we have ever purchased requires you to lift the calf high enough so that the scale is at eye level or above. We do this as a team, lifting with a rod through the scale and I usually need to duck down to read the scale once the calf is off the ground, which makes it hard for me to hold up my share of the weight. Ours are NOT tiny 60 to 70 pound calves and we are not young, so this job gets harder every year. If I could find a scale that could be read from above as soon as the calves feet are off the ground, it would sure make this job easier. Does anyone have such a scale, and if so, where can I get one?

 

[Lucky]

Mount a digital bathroom scale to a piece of plywood. Pickup calf and stand on scale then subtract your weight. Be the easiest redneck way I know.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Mount a digital bathroom scale to a piece of plywood. Pickup calf and stand on scale then subtract your weight. Be the easiest redneck way I know.

That's what I do. I don't have a digital scale though just an old school dial. It's probably 20 years old and still kicking.

 

[Katpau]

That is just not practical in our terrain. It would involve carrying the bathroom scale and it's mount somewhere on the ATV and trying to find a flat enough place to put it down while still leaving room for the cow and it's calf. Our scale can be easily carried into any spot the cow chooses to hide for calving. Most of the time we drive the ATV to an accessible location that is in the vicinity of the cow, and then hike in the rest of the way carrying the scale, and a flake of hay to distract the cow while we weigh and tag. My problem is that for some reason most lightweight digital scales are easily readable if you are looking up at them, but if you are just barely above them, they are almost impossible to see. A luggage scale would work, since they are read from the top, but they don't make them so they could be held by two people and they won't go high enough in weight.

 

[TCRanch]

Mount a digital bathroom scale to a piece of plywood. Pickup calf and stand on scale then subtract your weight. Be the easiest redneck way I know.

I tried that but I was traumatized when the scale shot dangerously close to a deuce. One 'n done, I'm out! Plus, I have no business picking up a 75+ lb. calf unless it's an emergency. Hello, the Hoofometer Birthweight Tape!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Hello, the Hoofometer Birthweight Tape!

Have you checked the hoof tape vs an actual scale?

I have and in some cases it was off up to 20%. If you want an accurate number for your records and future breeding then up to 20% error is a lot.

 

[bird dog]

Why weigh at all? Its the weaning weight that matters isn't it?

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Why weigh at all? Its the weaning weight that matters isn't it?

WW is only a single snapshot. Multiple weights starting at birth gives you a growth curve.

 

[TCRanch]

Have you checked the hoof tape vs an actual scale?

I have and in some cases it was off up to 20%. If you want an accurate number for your records and future breeding then up to 20% error is a lot.

It's supposed to be +/- 7 lbs. And no, I haven't compared. My calves aren't registered so BW and WW are just for my own curiosity.

 

[Katpau]

I have used the tapes and they can be extremely inaccurate with the heavier calves. My cows are all registered and I have detailed records on everything from conception until they are sold. I turn everything in to the AAA, because that data is what makes the EPD's accurate. My herd is commercial, and I raise my own replacements and most of my own bulls. Maternal traits are extremely important to me, so that includes birth weights, periodic weights each time they are handled, weaning weights, yearling weights and eventually adult weight. I also picture, record and turn in data on udders and feet and just about anything else you can think of. Any cow that doesn't raise a calf to weaning in the fall is culled and of course any cow not checked as pregnant in the fall is also culled. All cows must calve in less than a 60 day window.

I just love collecting and analyzing data. It is my form of entertainment. In case you are wondering, I don't want extreme light birth weights any more than I want extremely heavy birth weights.

 

[sstterry]

That's what I do. I don't have a digital scale though just an old school dial. It's probably 20 years old and still kicking.

How much has the amount you have to deduct changed in those 20 years

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Mount a digital bathroom scale to a piece of plywood. Pickup calf and stand on scale then subtract your weight. Be the easiest redneck way I know.

Last time I did that the scale read ERROR I was over the weight limit the calf was 92# when my skinny friend did it.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

How much has the amount you have to deduct changed in those 20 years

I try not to think about how much has been added over the years.

 

[NIdahoShorthorns]

I don't want extreme light birth weights any more than I want extremely heavy birth weights.

What is your target range and do you cull outside of it no matter what?

 

[NIdahoShorthorns]

Why not a 2nd class lever system, say an 8ft piece of sucker rod or even a 2x4, jam it into a tree/rock/brush or whatever, then use a crane scale and one person can lift and the other reads.

 

[sstterry]

Last time I did that the scale read ERROR I was over the weight limit...

Don't judge me......

 

[Katpau]

What is your target range and do you cull outside of it no matter what?

I don't necessarily have a target range. It depends on the size of the cow and whether or not she is a heifer. A bigger cow should be able to handle a bigger calf. At one time I had some cows that were 1800+ pounds, and I would expect them to easily handle a calf over 100 pounds. Now most of my cows are in the 1350 to 1450 pound range, when in good flesh. An 85 to 95 pound calf would be okay. For heifers, I might prefer 75 to 85 pounds, but it depends on her size. I would never cull a cow who has given birth without assistance and raised it to an acceptable weaning weight, no matter what that calf weighed at birth. However, I am not likely to keep replacements out of a cow that is consistently giving birth to calves that weigh over 100 pounds or under 70 pounds. The reason for not wanting overly large birth weights is pretty obvious, but low weights make a calf more susceptible to succumbing to the cold and wet weather in February and March when we calve. It also leaves them with more pounds to make up as they grow.

Our birth weights can be influenced by the weather we receive over the last few months before calving. When we have a mild winter, with few freezes and less cold rain and snow, birth weights tend to be lighter than when we get a colder winter. In 2019 the temperature stayed near or below freezing during the last month before calving. Our average birth weights were over 90 pounds. This was fortunate when we ended up getting almost 2 feet of snow just as calving began. In 2023 we had a very mild winter and birth weights averaged right at about 80 pounds. That same group of cows averaged 85 pound birth weights in 2024. I have heard that calves born in warm climates, such as Florida, are likely to average 70 pounds or less, so there is no ideal response to target range, other than "it depends...."

 

[birdog]

Make you a prop similar to a bipod for one end of the crossbar and then your partner can lift the calf alone and you can record the data

 

[Katpau]

Make you a prop similar to a bipod for one end of the crossbar and then your partner can lift the calf alone and you can record the data

We are carrying our scale and our other supplies into some difficult to access locations, so I don't want to haul anything more then the minimum. Our digital scale and the rod it hangs from are pretty small and light. The rod is only about 18 inches long weighing a few ounces. The sling is the heaviest part of the whole thing and weighs about 2 pounds. Lifting the calve is really not too much of a challenge. I just wish that it was readable when looking down at it, but for some reason they are designed to be read from below, so I need to duck down to read it. I don't know why none are designed to be read from up above. Those electronic numbers fade and become invisible if viewed from above. It is a pain to have to either lift the calves feet way up off the ground to read the scale, or for one person to duck down to read it.

 

[M.Magis]

The Brecknell ElectroSamson is read from above. I've had one for about 20 years for fishing. Bought it because at the time it was one of the very few digitals scales that could be certified. It may be overkill for what you need, they're about $100 or so. But its the only one I know of offhand that can be read from above.
Edit: forgot to mention, the largest model goes to 100 lbs. That may not be enough for your needs?