Recording Birthweights

[Andyva]

How do you weigh your calves? I'm thinking sling or feed sack and spring scale and get somebody dumb that hasn't screwed their back up yet to hoist it up for you. Has anyone used the hoof tape? What is legal as far as breed registries are concerned? When do you weigh, for an "official" birthweight? They do lose a little weight after they are born, from fluid, and from the fact that they are burning energy while trying to figure out how to eat and get their guts working. I've read a calf can lose around ten percent in the first 24 hours, depending on weather. That would make a 90 pound wet calf weigh 81 pounds at 18 hours old. Would you rather breed your heifers to a bull with a 81 pound birthweight or one with a 90 pound birthweight? You could definitely make one look better on paper by not finding him 'til he was a day old. I'm sure that I'm not the only one that has thought of that.

 

[branguscowgirl]

We put a piece of plywood on the ground with a "step on" type scale. Weigh the person first, then the person holding the calf. :lol: Ya see, it has to be someone strong, with good balance, and agile enough to dodge mamma cow while holding the calf! :lol: Oh, and a second person to read the number on the scale! (That's my job. :mrgreen: )
I weigh at birth, or within a few hours usually. If they are born at night, it might be a bit longer. But never past 12 hrs..

 

[Nesikep]

I have a bathroom scale and weigh myself and the calf, subtract my weight... the scale we have isn't too accurate, but has a BIG dial, so I can read it myself. Most of my momma cows are OK with me.

I think the weight of the calf at a day old depends on many things... When you get calves that drink 2 gallons of colostrum in the first day, I'm sure they're not losing any weight, if you get one from a first timer that's a bit short of milk, with bad weather, etc, the weight may go down.

I've gotten fairly good at estimating their weight (I usually carry every calf about 100 feet or so), and since I don't report to a breed registry it's not too important, it's just to get relative ideas... I do weigh all the extremes, whether they're really big or really small, because that's where I'm going to be the least accurate with a guess

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I too weigh myself holding the calf and then just myself. Just came inside 5 minutes ago from weighing an 85lbs heifer calf that was just born. Now I have to go wash the "gunk" off me from picking that little bugger up.

 

[dun]

We run them through our regular scale

 

[Nesikep]

ChevyTahoe, I have a dedicated set of "calving" clothes... that slime is sure slippery stuff

 

[Katpau]

I use a hanging scale. My calves are heavy averaging close to 90 pounds. My husband and I lift together. The scale is hanging from a device made to hold the scale, and has handles that we can each get our hands on. A short broom stick would also work. I tried the hoof and girth tapes, but found them to be extremely inaccurate. For three years I took both scale weights and measurements hoping I might be able to omit the lifting. The tapes could vary by 15 or more pounds from the actual scale weight. When I occasionally have calves born near the digital scales in the corrals, I have weighed them at birth and 24 hours latter. Some were a bit less and some a bit more (full stomach?), but none varied by more than a few pounds. There was never a 10% change, and more of them had gained a little bit then had lost. Weigh them as soon as possible. I check cows and weigh each day at least in the morning and afternoon. I do not stay up all night waiting for calves. I miss some births by 12 hours or more, but I doubt a pound or two will make a huge difference in my data.

 

[torogmc81]

We put a piece of plywood on the ground with a "step on" type scale. Weigh the person first, then the person holding the calf. :lol: Ya see, it has to be someone strong, with good balance, and agile enough to dodge mamma cow while holding the calf! :lol: Oh, and a second person to read the number on the scale! (That's my job. :mrgreen: )
I weigh at birth, or within a few hours usually. If they are born at night, it might be a bit longer. But never past 12 hrs..

I do the same thing, but if I don't have the second person to read it's a real back twister to try and glimpse at the weight with them squirmy buggers in your arms

 

[branguscowgirl]

We put a piece of plywood on the ground with a "step on" type scale. Weigh the person first, then the person holding the calf. :lol: Ya see, it has to be someone strong, with good balance, and agile enough to dodge mamma cow while holding the calf! :lol: Oh, and a second person to read the number on the scale! (That's my job. :mrgreen: )
I weigh at birth, or within a few hours usually. If they are born at night, it might be a bit longer. But never past 12 hrs..

I do the same thing, but if I don't have the second person to read it's a real back twister to try and glimpse at the weight with them squirmy buggers in your arms

You left of SLIMMY and slipery also! :lol:

Nesi, I would hate to see those "dedicated calving clothes" of yours! :lol:

 

[Nesikep]

They stand by themselves!... Actually, I use them for loading hay, etc too, which cleans them off pretty good... I certainly wouldn't wear them around other people though, especially non-farming types! It's one of those occupational hazards that you might just smell a bit like cow when you go out, I take good precautions against it, but I know my nose is immune to the smell... Haven't got any complaints yet, so hopefully I'm successful at it!

 

[Andyva]

Thanks for the ideas. I can see that it would take a special set of circumstances to lose anything near 10 percent of the body weight. Bathroom scale wouldn't work for me, I'm kind of a one man show, and I am getting to where I have a hard enough time seeing the dial without holding a calf. Maybe I could make some kind of hanger to hang a spring scale on. Maybe off of a truck standard or something. Good to know about the hoof tape, sounded too good to be true.

 

[HOSS]

I use a hand held scale used for weighing luggage. You can get them at just about any store that sells luggage. They are digital and have a steel S hook on them. I attach a wide strap around the calf and pick it up like a suitcase. The weight display locks when it gets a reading. I hold it up for a few seconds, set it down and read the weight. It works for me and I can do it myself as long as momma ain't snorting in my back pocket.

 

[wbvs58]

I have a big problem weighing them without getting killed by the cow. Most times I get them into the yards and trick the cow into walking through a gate first and trapping the calf the other side and then weigh them on bathroom scales. Some cunning old bu%%ars I keep them going through the race and weigh them on the big scales.I usually get it done but things do get hairy even trying to move them as a pair. How do the rest of you do it without getting killed.
Ken

 

[dun]

I have a big problem weighing them without getting killed by the cow. Most times I get them into the yards and trick the cow into walking through a gate first and trapping the calf the other side and then weigh them on bathroom scales. Some cunning old bu%%ars I keep them going through the race and weigh them on the big scales.I usually get it done but things do get hairy even trying to move them as a pair. How do the rest of you do it without getting killed.
Ken

Generally calm cows. But every year there will be one it seems that goes postal

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We weigh ours on our True Test scale in the barn. If the cow is in a far away pasture from the barn, we put the calf on the 4 wheeler, front legs on one side and back on the other, with them between us and the handlebars. Then we run them up to the scale and weight them, and take them back to mom. Sometimes the cow follows, sometimes they just watch us. Cows seem to know we are just trying to help, but a few get scary!

 

[Runaway Deere]

Fetlock tape has proven accurate enough for us so far, it was recommended to me by a professional. So far we are happy with it

 

[branguscowgirl]

Maybe I could make some kind of hanger to hang a spring scale on. Maybe off of a truck standard or something. Good to know about the hoof tape, sounded too good to be true.

They sell a hanger that slides into your hitch receiver on either a 4-wheeler or your truck. Valley Vet Supply has one that slides into the pocket on the truck bed. If nothing else, you can get some ideas to make one your self. They also carry the sling and scales.

As far as keeping the cow off of you while you process the calf, you gotta get pretty creative some times! Most of my cattle are pretty easy, though I do not trust any of them 100%. I always try to keep the calf between the mamma and I. Sometimes she has her nose on it the whole time. Sometimes you can keep them busy with a bucket of grain. Sometimes you get the opportunity to pull the calf under the fence. It definitely helps to have 2 people that the cow is used too, but that isn't always possible. If you can get them to a corral and separate, your always better off. But that is a rare case for most.

 

[torogmc81]

This was my "thunderstorm calf" born last June. He was calm as could be when I carried him 300 feet to the lean to. 65 pound birth bull calf. After momma licking and the hard rain, he wasn't very slippery, just nice and wet. Easiest carry ever

Later that evening/next day I believe. PRICELESS.

 

[RoanDurham]

I use a hand held scale used for weighing luggage. You can get them at just about any store that sells luggage. They are digital and have a steel S hook on them. I attach a wide strap around the calf and pick it up like a suitcase. The weight display locks when it gets a reading. I hold it up for a few seconds, set it down and read the weight. It works for me and I can do it myself as long as momma ain't snorting in my back pocket.

good advice, I'm going to have to go look for one of these. I've always used a cotton scale but, at times, it is tough to read it

 

[branguscowgirl]

Awe Toro, that is a "priceless" photo! Very cute!
Nice looking cow, calf and pastures also!