estimating calf weight

[hillbillyhammer]

Are there some sort of basis, guidelines, tips, or tricks that can help you estimate the weight of a calf in the field? Sometimes my guess is very close, sometimes not so close. Maybe I just need more experience. Thanks for any input?

 

[randiliana]

My best advice would be to weigh them until you are fairly accurate at your estimations. We've weighed for years and can still be waaaay off on our guesses at times.

 

[Bigfoot]

Some people have the knack, and some do not. Anytime me, or my father take some off, we make an individual guess what they weigh. It's almost like a contest. I seldomly win, but I try to imagine how many 100 pound sacks of corn I could fit in the calf. Sounds stupid, but it's my method.

 

[Nesikep]

I measured one with a hoof tape and it was actually pretty darned close to the real thing.. With my not too accurate bathroom scale I came up with 108 lbs, the hoof girth was 19.7 cm, the hoof tape said 108 lbs would have been 20 cm.. pretty close

 

[Supa Dexta]

Look at thousands of calves, and then look at their accurate weights. Its just a height, length and thickness knack that you have to practice.

If you're at a salebarn look the animal over, guess and then look at the weight display, try and do it quick enough that you dont hear the auctioneer first.

 

[cowgirl8]

My husband can guess them really close.....i have a different weight gauge.....tiny, small, med, large and holy shyte...

 

[backhoeboogie]

I get close up until 400 pounds. Any decent guess after that is sheer luck. Especially in open pasture you describe. There's nothing to baseline with for size except for your distance away. I've seen a couple of people who were darn accurate. They have an eye for it. Seen a whole bunch that were not any better than I am.

 

[Big Cheese]

Just keep looking at calves and keep guessing eventually you will get the hang of it. I agree with what some of the guys have said go to the barn and start guessing and then look at the weight. Our barn...i haven't been to it in over a year to watch cows sale so it may have changed....they weighed the cows AFTER they went through the ring so you guess while they are in the ring then they weigh them.

I may be young but i've been around cattle my whole life and I'm not the best at guessing weights in the world but i'm not the worst....we took 4 calves to the barn last week. I was 75-100 pounds over on all 4 of their weights lol. Said one weighed 550 and it weighed 450 so everybody struggles with it. Its always a guessing game.

 

[Supa Dexta]

So how did they price them? Just by total amount? Not per pound, or did they keep you on your toes - priced by the pound and then not tell you the weight til after? That would make you get better in a hurry.. ha

 

[Brute 23]

The place we sell runs them through one by one and shows the weight on a big screen. Guess the weight and then check your self. Do it often enough and you can get pretty decent. There will always be a few curve balls.

 

[LJCC]

Big Cheese, if your buying a group of cattle there it wouldn't take much to be $1000+ off in on your estimation in either direction. Sounds to me like they need to invest some money into their ring and scale.

 

[Ojp6]

From what I've found sellers usually guess high on the weights and buyers guess low haha. But as for the weighing after they sell thing it is just a way some barns run things. They usually weigh bigger groups before they sell but singles and stuff after. It works fine, usually for every one you miss high you get one back that's lower sooner or later. I see a couple thousand a week almost every week and I still miss them all the time. Some calves just seem to pack weight where I can't see it haha.

 

[Big Cheese]

Big Cheese, if your buying a group of cattle there it wouldn't take much to be $1000+ off in on your estimation in either direction. Sounds to me like they need to invest some money into their ring and scale.

They run everything in one by one. They don't sell them as groups. I just take my calves to the barn and get my money like I said I haven't sat and watched the calves sale in over a year. That's how they did it when I was there. They auctioned it for price per pound then weighed the calf/cow when it ran out of the ring.