By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-06-03 12:41:25 | Word Count: 664
The weight of your livestock is used to determine many things from health to selling quality. Your livestock should be weighed regularly to determine any changes that may affect your farming ability. Productivity and farm profitability rely heavily on the weight of your farm animals. Scales for weighing livestock must be durable, accurate, animal friendly and easy to use. Livestock is usually weighed using hanging or platform scales.
Hanging scales are for smaller livestock that usually weigh less than 200 pounds. The advantages of using hanging scales are that they tend to be cheaper than other livestock scales and in most cases they are portable and lightweight. Slings that slip safely around the animals’ stomach may be used with the hanging scale. This will assist in securing the animal to obtain an accurate weight.
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Platform scales are used for larger livestock such as cattle. It is best to utilize a platform scale that has the ability to weigh 2500 pounds or more. These scales should have a weight average and hold button. This should automatically average the fluctuating weight of a moving animal on the scale. It may not be easy to get your livestock to step on the scale and remain still for weighing. The lower the profile of the platform scale the easier it will be for the livestock to mount the scale. Many of these scales are outfitted with a crate or cages. This will ensure that the animal stays put on the platform long enough for an accurate weight to be accessed. Make sure that the platform on your scale is equipped to handle the size of your livestock.
The platform scale should come with minimal moving parts. Larger animals often destroy any area of the scale that is set apart for the welded frame. Livestock tends to be messier animals. Make sure your scale is water resistant. Your display, load sensors and anything electronic on the scale should always be protected from moisture. There are rubber mats provided with some platform scales for an added comfort-ability. These mats can be easily hosed down after use. It would be ideal if the load cells on your scale were made from stainless steel.
Accuracy is first and foremost when selecting a scale for your livestock. The accurate weight of your livestock determines if your livestock is in good health, whether it will be sold or slaughtered and if it is a candidate for mating. It also determines weaning, feeding and breeding performance. Specialized alloy stainless steel load cells and leading edge electronics result in high levels of accuracy and repeatability on platform scales. Look for a sensitivity of 1/10 of 1lb. This allows for the accurate weighing of even the smallest animals. Animals rarely remain still on scales so see to it that your platform scale has an “Animal Average” button.
To find the perfect animal weighing scale to suit your need, visit www.brightscales.com today!
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