Getting Birthweights

[Rookie Rancher]

When a cow has a calf out in the field with the rest of the herd, How are you guys measuring the birthweights?

 

[dyates]

Handheld scale with a sling. A tape will also get you in the ballpark. Depends on how accurate you want to be.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

take a regular home stand on scale and pick the calf up stand on the scales.. subtract your weight

 

[ENNOT]

I tie up their legs and use/hang them from a handheld scale. More times than not on the back of a pickup!!!! Not that all the cows are bad, but it makes living a healthy life easier.

 

[dun]

take a regular home stand on scale and pick the calf up stand on the scales.. subtract your weight

You foprgot the part about having someone else read the weight. I sure can;t crane my neck and see over a wiggling claf to read it

 

[rocket2222]

take a regular home stand on scale and pick the calf up stand on the scales.. subtract your weight

You foprgot the part about having someone else read the weight. I sure can;t crane my neck and see over a wiggling claf to read it

If you stand on the scale backwards, you can look over your shoulder and read it

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Use a hanging scale and sling... and my husband's arm until we can build a contraption that hooks into the back of the ATV to hang the sling from...

...and dun, it has a device that marks the heaviest weight so you don't have to see it 'til after... we do 2-3 picks if one wiggles to make sure we don't get an inaccurate read...

 

[Avalon]

Sneak up on'em and restrain.
Nothing better that the calf weigh tape from Sullivans or Valley Vet. The other stuff is just to troublesome for a one man operation. Especially when he has a bad back.

 

[CowCop]

Sneak up on'em and restrain.
Nothing better that the calf weigh tape from Sullivans or Valley Vet. The other stuff is just to troublesome for a one man operation. Especially when he has a bad back.

I agree.

Got the same trashed spine.

We use the tape and its painless.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

take a regular home stand on scale and pick the calf up stand on the scales.. subtract your weight

You foprgot the part about having someone else read the weight. I sure can;t crane my neck and see over a wiggling claf to read it

you sure its the calf...and not your belly

 

[Shorthorn1]

We bought a small "boom" on sale from Harbor Freight. Mounted the post in the back of the little chore truck. I use a good calf sling hung under a little electronic scale. The boom has both a crank and a small hydraulic jack to lift with. The pickup bed makes a handy platform for the Vet box for tagging, vaccinating and tattooing, plus I can keep a good stick handy on the rare occasion a cow wants to get too "friendly". I figure I owe my customers an accurate BW. I've checked my taped results against the scale and found too much discrepency between the two.

 

[R.N.Reed]

I agree with you Shorthorn1.I have seen anywhere from a 7 to 12lb difference from the scale to tape.

 

[Sage]

We use a hanging scale and a pully, it works fairly well as you pull the rope down you lift the scale to about eye level. The biggest problem is you neet to hang the pully on somthing, it's fine around the barn and corrals just have some hooks placed around. It would be pretty easy to build an arm that could go in a stake pocket of a truck to hang the pully from.

 

[goddy]

I set up a scale on the trailer of my ATV, pick up the calf and hop on the scale and Bobs your uncle !

Personally I wouldn't trust the tapes - used to hear people talk about a "tight 80 pounds ", you can make it read what you want.
But having said that it is better than no weight if you are consistent.

Any method is only as good as the integrity of the person using it.

Goddy

 

[fit2btied]

take a regular home stand on scale and pick the calf up stand on the scales.. subtract your weight

Our scales don't go that high and our calves only average 70-75 lbs! :shock: If I can't get the little woman to shed a few pounds, I'll have to keep using the spring scale and calf sling!

 

[Brandonm2]

We hung the scale from the front end loader (there were a couple of manufacturers holes in the bucket that worked pefectly for this) and brought hay and feed out on the tractor which helped distract the cows.

 

[racekannon]

Bathroom scales on a square of plywood and assistant in field or if next to barn or corral stand in chute. The tapes don't work well. I can pick one up and weigh it easier and quicker than tieing it up. Can tell if my help had a rough night he'll be shrunk up when weighing him to deduct from gross wt.

 

[TB-Herefords]

Put a hanging scale (weight toward you) on long pole (6'-8') put calve in sling; burlap sack; or old sweater. Put pole on shoulder and stand up. If momma wont let you weigh calve cull her. If your out of shape to kneel down and stand up find a new occupation. The longer the pole the more leverage. Where you put the scale changes leverage too.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Years ago we used the bathroom scale & piece of plywood - after several bathroom scales died (hubby weighs 200#), we got the sling & use an 8' pole. Use pole as a fulcrum (sp?), stick one end in ground, hang scale about 18" from top end, lift using the 18" section (hubby does - not me!).

 

[racekannon]

I must have good herd health, hard to catch and get a tag, shot of mutimin, and First Defense bolus in them let alone be still enough for some suggested practices. Momma's usually in a hurry too.