Weighing new borns

[Alan]

In the past to get the birth weight on a new calf I would carry it to a concrete pad and stand on a set of good scales and then do the same without the calf... too hard. I was thinking of a sling system with hand held scales (?) How do some of you do it?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I use a bathroom scale attatched to a small piece of plywood. Weigh with the calf, then weigh without the calf.
Where I work, they use the portable sling-scale method.

Katherine

 

[msscamp]

We use a weight tape that measures their foot and translates that to a weight. Seems to be pretty accurate.

 

[Angus Guy]

I use my wifes sewing tape and the conversion table I got from the angus ass. ( measure heart girth)

 

[Aero]

We use a weight tape that measures their foot and translates that to a weight. Seems to be pretty accurate.

i assume this is for a commercial herd?

 

[Anonymous]

We use a hanging scale and sling. I made a bracket to fit the receiver hitch on the truck and also mounted a reciver on the front of my 4 wheeler works great. Picked up a used sling from a medical supply store. They pick up wheel chairs and beds for refurbishing and throw the slings away.

 

[SimmAngus]

We use a hang scale and nylon strap, works very well for new borns. Have not tried it on the Bull.... I think the strap might be a little short ;-)

 

[Victoria]

We have a sling and scale. We take out the feed truck with the jiffy baler lower down the arms and hang the scale from it. I sling the calf and then let the jiffy baler do the work.

 

[ga. prime]

Newborn. I thought the topic said new horns. Did anybody else do that? Well, anyway I used the method Katherine mentioned of using a bathroom scale on a piece of plywood. At the same time I would use a heart girth tape. After numerous comparisons, I found that the heart girth tape gives a very accurate bw(very close to the scale weight). Now, I only use the heart girth tape.

 

[tom4018]

I use my wifes sewing tape and the conversion table I got from the angus ass. ( measure heart girth)

Is that table available on their site? Ben searching but not found it.

 

[dj]

tom4018
you can find a chart here

http://farmca.com/weight.html

 

[samm]

when we want a weight we use the heart girth tape too.
my son was at the barn with us when he came home from school at christmas..we were playing around , i put it around him...it was with in 8 lbs of his actual weight, we got a chuckel out of it..

 

[SEC]

For those weighing using tapes find a Sydgen (black angus) catalogue in they have a comment box on the tape.

Very interesting. Stating that up to a certain weight the tape was accurate, after that certain weight it wasn't close.

 

[cmjust0]

When I step on a bathroom scale, I bounce the sucker off the 330lb peg about four times before it settles down to around 265lbs... I'd peg it out for keeps with any calf over 65lbs.. :lol:

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,

Used all kinds of tapes etc... but have narrowed it down to a fancy parcel box freight scale. All registred herd here, and it makes it quick and simple. Since its a freight type scale, it goes to 400 lbs. The base is a sturdy steel er... bout 14" x 14" and the readout is attached via a 8 foot cord. So I simply stand on it, set the tare weight, then just pick the baby up stand on it, 2 seconds, and it done.

Places like staples sell it.