weighing scales

sos67

Any one know where I could get a battery operated scales for a cattle crush

stanflt

sos67 wrote: »

Any one know where I could get a battery operated scales for a cattle crush

I've an o Donovan scales which has a computer built in and is rechargeable
Will record and remember 100000 cattle tags
Your herd and tag numbers can be loaded from farm soft ware or icbf
When I'm weighing I key in the last 4 digits of tag and it brings up the last recording for that animal and gives you it's daily lwg from last recording and or birth
Very handy if you want to take some light or heavy ones away from a bunch

Cavanjack

stanflt wrote: »

I've an o Donovan scales which has a computer built in and is rechargeable
Will record and remember 100000 cattle tags
Your herd and tag numbers can be loaded from farm soft ware or icbf
When I'm weighing I key in the last 4 digits of tag and it brings up the last recording for that animal and gives you it's daily lwg from last recording and or birth
Very handy if you want to take some light or heavy ones away from a bunch

http://www.donedeal.ie/dairycattle-for-sale/livestock-scales-for-sale-2-x-aa-batteri/5575136

Farrell

Need to invest in Sheep scales which will cost approx €500, if we bought the Cattle Scales it would be little over €600 extra, but would mean you could weigh cattle too. Although there's other items the funds could be invested.

Has anyone possibly weighed Lambs on the cattle scales?

Have many of you got weighing scales, how do you find them especially with the more nervous/wilder stock?

severeoversteer

they are very robust

unless like me you try and weigh a few bales with it !

second cut 22%dm bale weighed 985kg !!

bent the scales in the middle a bit:mad:

munkus

Farrell wrote: »

Have many of you got weighing scales, how do you find them especially with the more nervous/wilder stock?

Got the Connachtagri one a few months back. It doesn't store weights on the device which would be handy, but this feature adds about 400 quid onto the price, pen and notebook will do me.


A few points to consider:

1) Fitting it in the crush:

Measured the width of the crush and it was about 26.5-27 inch wide. On the website it said that the scales was 25" wide so I though it would be fine. When it arrived it was a bit over 27" so had to do a lot of breaking to get it in. Still too tight but workable and takes two of us to lift in in over the crush and wedge it down to ground level where it is free from catching. I would suggest that you ask them to make a 25" wide body if space is an issue. Will probably build new crush anyway for larger animals and put the scales into it anyway.

2) Scales height:

The scale is around 4 inches high, which is a pain in the hole if you want to weigh an animal and then catch them in the crush to does etc. the problem is that the animal doesn't want to step down and through the gate. For cows I find the extra 4" makes the cow too high to get her head up to dose/bolus properly. Maybe having the scales back 2 foot would solve this. Too much breaking out in my case. I've though that burying the scales down to flat level would solve all my problems but haven't down it yet.

3) Anti-backing bar:

Unusable without this. Stops them backing off it obviously. Be careful they aren't leaning on it as it's calculating. Cannot have their heads caught in crush gate either as you'll get false reading.


4) Nervous cattle:

It's too shiny out of the box, you have to throw some shyte on it to make it fit in. They'll be nervous the first time but after that they fly up. I'd recommend an 8 foot one over a 7 as it gives them some play and 7 is too short for cows. Mine is 8.


It's awkward but a mighty tool. I tend to weigh everything first and let them out, then remove the scales and put them in again to dose etc. This has the added advantage of making it easier to catch them in the gate as it's their second time going through having not being caught the first time.


Wouldn't be without it now despite the disadvantages mentioned.

severeoversteer wrote: »

they are very robust

unless like me you try and weigh a few bales with it !

second cut 22%dm bale weighed 985kg !!

bent the scales in the middle a bit:mad:

Pallet scales for that job

MfMan

munkus wrote: »

4) Nervous cattle:

It's too shiny out of the box, you have to throw some shyte on it to make it fit in. They'll be nervous the first time but after that they fly up. I'd recommend an 8 foot one over a 7 as it gives them some play and 7 is too short for cows. Mine is 8.

Old cut-off slat mat good for that job too.

Farrell

Thanks very much.
If you can't get an accurate reading when an animal's head is caught, would it be possibly to get an accurate weight for a lamb

gazahayes

Farrell wrote: »

Thanks very much.
If you can't get an accurate reading when an animal's head is caught, would it be possibly to getvan accurate weight for a lamb

Worked for a lad who used a cattle scales to weigh lambs he just made up a pen to go around it in a yard and catch the lamb put it in.

Farrell

gazahayes wrote: »

Worked for a lad who used a cattle scales to weigh lambs he just made up a pen to go around it in a yard and catch the lamb put it in.

Thanks for that.
I was going to use hurdles, which is probably same idea.
When he went to the Factory / Mart, was it much out?

Sorry about the over kill on questions, just fearful of buying twice

Muckit

severeoversteer wrote: »

second cut 22%dm bale weighed 985kg !!

bent the scales in the middle a bit:mad:

There's weight in water!

severeoversteer

Muckit wrote: »

There's weight in water!

5 foot bale out of a new baler turned up to high density 22 knives

mc hale bales are a lot smaller and not as many knives

brianb243

stanflt wrote: »

I've an o Donovan scales which has a computer built in and is rechargeable
Will record and remember 100000 cattle tags
Your herd and tag numbers can be loaded from farm soft ware or icbf
When I'm weighing I key in the last 4 digits of tag and it brings up the last recording for that animal and gives you it's daily lwg from last recording and or birth
Very handy if you want to take some light or heavy ones away from a bunch

I know this thread is old but do you still have it. Is it good. What is battery life like? Would you deal with them again?