Taking Weights

[Col Reb]

I am getting more & more interested in switching from commercial angus to registered angus. One question I have is how does everyone take birth weights? I would imagine that if I go this route that my calves will still be born in the pasture. I read up on the Coleman ranch & it seems they do the same. If you do this, do you just get them to the barn ASAP to get a weight & do a logical guesstimate of what the calf weighed at birth? If it matters, I have a small farm in MS, not a sprawling ranch out west.

 

[kentuckyguy]

I have a set of bathroom scales bolted to a wooden frame. I just pick the calf up and step on the scales.

GAR has a YouTube video of them tying the calves feet and picking them up by a hanging scale. I just found the bathroom scales to be easier. I have a small herd though.

 

[Col Reb]

Sounds a lot easier than what I had imagined. Thank you.

 

[Katpau]

We weigh and tag right in the pasture as soon as possible after the calf has nursed. Our calving pasture is about 60 acres, wooded and hilly, so finding them is always the biggest challenge, but it means the cow can always find a clean hiding place to calve. We use a sling and a hanging scale to weigh. You can buy both online through places like Valley Vet. We have the scale hooked to a rod that is long enough for two people to lift.

We put iodine on the calves umbilical, slip the the calf in the sling, lift and read the scale, then we put a tag in the ear. If you catch the calf before he's 6 hours old, this is pretty simple. Older and it can be a rodeo. We always put a rope halter on the calf as soon as we get hold of him, so we can stop him if he decides to take off. We keep the calf between us and the cow, throw the cow a flake of hay and work the calf while the cow eats. When we are done, the halter comes off and the calf is gently pushed back to Mom. It is surprising how often, even a calf that fought you, will now turn and follow you away. This process works with cows that trust you, but is not recommended with a cow that shows aggression.

 

[LJCB]

Calf sling and lift them up as soon as I can. Usually same time I tag I weigh .

 

[76 Bar]

If you're serious about raising seed stock its imperative your birth thru yearling weights are done via reliable scales and most certainly not by guesstimates.

 

[TB521]

This works the best for me I have cradle that I put under the calf and just hang it on the scale

 

[SPH]

When you have a lot more acres and head to manage I'm sure it takes a lot more diligence to keep on top of taking weights. We have a small select herd of registered Polled Hereford females and we take a weight within 24 hours of birth. All we do is use a digital bathroom scale and subtract the weight we take while holding the calf from the weight of the person. We have an old Paul scale with the balance bar weight we take weaning and yearling weights on as well. The key is being consistent with your methods that you use to collect measurable data. Don't guess, use a scale and weigh them all with the same process.

Typically with registered animals when you turn the weights in to your association they get a ratio against their contemporary group so you get an adjusted ratio based on age so for weaning and yearling you obviously are not going to take weights at exactly 205 and 365 days for each animal so the weights you collect on a particular date get adjusted to what that animal would likely weigh if they all were the same age and then you get a ratio where 100 is your average so under 100 they are below average against their contemporaries and above 100 they are above average. You can even get more micro than just weights and collect ultrasound carcass data on your bulls or slaughter cattle, scrotal measurements of bulls and hip heights to name some things we collect that all add value to the accuracy and transparency of the genetics we use. If you are wanting to go into the registered seedstock business your potential buyers will value that data as well.