An Overview of the Reasons to Use Livestock Scales in Montana

Livestock scales are an extremely important piece of equipment for anyone who owns a livestock farm. The data collected from weighing animals can be used to make more accurate management decisions with regard to your farm. You’ll be able to more easily determine which breeds of animals are best to raise and sell, and modify your feeding and medication patterns and other approaches to help improve overall productivity.

There is a wide variety of different kinds of livestock scales, including alleyway, chute and squeeze chute scales. The type of scale you decide to use for your livestock farm depends primarily on the number and size of animals you are raising.

In general, however, livestock scales provide farmers with the same basic benefits. Here are a few of the reasons why you should make regular use of livestock scales in Montana:

• Better medication administration and health tracking: Unhealthy animals might have decreased weight gains, so you can easily determine when the animal is sick by regularly tracking its weight and noticing when even slight changes occur. This means you’ll know exactly when you need to begin administering medication—the scale will help you catch potential health problems early on before they become more severe, giving you the ability to treat the condition early and avoid dangerous disease that could spread to other animals.
• Important information for breeding: You should only breed animals once they have reached a certain optimal weight and health condition. By regularly weighing your animals, you will have a much more accurate idea of when an animal will be fit for breeding.
• Breeding evaluation: Not only does proper weight measurement and tracking help you determine when your animal is ready for breeding, but it can also help you better evaluate breeding performance. You’ll be able to determine, for example, which breeds gain weight faster, which can assist you in future genetic selection and cross breeding processes to help you get animals that will maximize growth rates.
• Maximize sale value: Livestock are most valuable for sale purposes once they have reached a certain weight. With the help of quality livestock scales, you can track the weight of your animals to make sure they have reached their optimal level of value before you decide to put them up for sale.
• Correct portion control: As you are able to correctly monitor the weight gain of your livestock, you will also get to know the accurate feed conversion rates. This will help you determine the exact portion sizes your animals need, so you can avoid over- or underfeeding. This also makes it easier for you to set and achieve particular growth rates at a certain schedule.
• Determine weaning time: Calves should always be included in weight tracking so you can better predict their future growth. Over time, you’ll be able to better determine when the right time is to wean your calves.

For more information about the use of livestock scales in Montana and their various benefits, contact Rockwell Scales today.

Categorised in: Livestock Scales

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