When it comes to livestock and managing your costs and profitability; having the ability to weigh your livestock accurately is vital to operations. Accurate data provides livestock owners with a variety of benefits including being able to calculate feed or medication amounts with ease, carefully monitor the weight gain of your stock, and better accuracy of accomplishing target weights for individual animals or multiple animals.
What to consider first
Knowing what you plan on using your scale(s) for will make it easier to narrow down your selection. Some basic questions to consider are:
What am I weighing?
Different livestock will have different needs when weighing. Weight requirements, the ability to secure animals safely, and how many animals you need to be able to weigh at a time are all factors that will impact which scale works best for you. Certain scales are better suited to accommodate multiple needs, where others are designed to serve a more singular purpose.
One thing to keep in mind: regardless of what model you select, it’s best to choose a scale based off of your primary objective. It might be tempting to get a scale that can do “everything”, but if your equipment isn’t designed for your main use on a regular basis, your weight accuracy may not be achieved.
Where will the scales be located?
The physical location of the scales is another important factor to consider during the selection process. Do you need the scale to be portable or permanently placed? If you plan on using a squeeze chute in tandem with your scale, a permanent system can work well and allow you to weigh larger herds in one go. Without a chute, portable systems are the better fit, allowing you to load them onto a truck or trailer as needed.
Do you require the Scale to be Certified Legal for Trade ?
Do you want the ability to buy and sell livestock with your scale. We have both Legal for Trade and Non Legal for Trade weighing solutions for single and multi-animal. Portable and permanent.
Scale Information
There are many different types of livestock scales available to you, so this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Below, you’ll find a few quick points on some of the more common models within the livestock trade.
Single animal scales: When you need to get a precise reading for an animal being put up for auction, or even being medically evaluated, single animal scales provide an extremely accurate and reliable solution.
Portable Scales: For those who sell cattle in lots, this kind of scale is preferable since multiple animals can be weighed at the same time.
Permanent / Stationary Scales: Heavy-duty and extremely accurate, these scales are ideal for tough environments and extreme working environments weighing a large number of animals frequently.
Cattle / Truck Scales: Truck scales can serve multiple purposes, and act as a low maintenance option for farmers ta want multiple scales in one product.
For more information about livestock scales, including repair, regular maintenance and service, Accurate Scale is happy to help! We proudly supply Albertans with the industry’s top solutions, including many built in-house. Contact us today to learn more.