If you are a livestock farmer, you know how important it is to make informed decisions about your animals. One key aspect of this is knowing the weight of each animal, as it can provide valuable insights into feeding, growth, medication, breeding selection and the best time to sell. Traditionally, weight has been linked to age, but with the latest technology, weighing animals can now be done more accurately and conveniently than ever before.
With EID readers and cloud-based software, weighing your livestock is now as easy as a click of a button. You no longer have to wade through piles of paper to track an animal's weight history. Instead, you can access all the data you need in one place, making it easier to track individual animal growth and make informed decisions based on that data.
New Entry-Level Weighing Systems
Weighing animals with advanced systems has been commonplace in New Zealand, but in recent years, Gallagher has been focusing on making these weighing systems more accessible to starting weighers. Gallagher has launched several new Weighing and EID products, including the world's first wireless loadbars and the W1 weigh scale, that have been greatly simplified to cater to the needs of new users. Additionally, the software around their systems has been made more intuitive, allowing for all weighings to be collected and automatically processed into analyses. These analyses provide farmers with valuable insights that can help them make better decisions for their animals and their business.
Discover here all our Weighing and EID products.
8 Advantages of Weighing your Livestock
As an animal farmer, it is crucial to keep track of the growth and health of your livestock. One of the best ways to achieve this is by regularly weighing your animals. Weighing your livestock provides valuable information that can help you make informed decisions about their management and wellbeing.
1. Determine the Best Time to Sell:
Weighing your animals can help you determine the best time to sell them. This is because you can track their growth over time and identify when they reach their optimal weight for sale. By doing this, you can ensure that you get the best price for your animals, maximizing your profits.
2. Have More Control Over Growth and Nutrition:
Weighing your animals allows you to monitor their growth and nutrition more effectively. This is because you can adjust their feed and nutrition based on their weight and growth rate, ensuring that they receive the right amount of nutrients to reach their full potential.
3. Monitor Animal Health:
Weighing your animals also allows you to monitor their health. Sudden changes in weight can be a sign of illness or injury. By tracking their weight over time, you can quickly identify any health issues and address them before they become more serious.
4. Determine the Optimal Moment for Mating:
Weighing your animals can help you determine the optimal moment for mating. This is because you can track their growth and development, and identify when they reach sexual maturity. By doing this, you can ensure that your animals produce healthy offspring and improve the overall quality of your herd.
5. Investigate Which Animals Produce the Best Offspring:
Weighing your animals also allows you to investigate which animals produce the best offspring. By tracking the weight and growth of their offspring, you can identify which animals are the most productive and make informed breeding decisions in the future.
6. Determine Medication Volume:
Weighing your animals can help you determine the correct medication volume for each animal. This is because the dosage of medication is typically based on the animal's weight. By weighing your animals regularly, you can ensure that they receive the correct amount of medication and avoid any potential health risks.
7. Determine the Best Time to Transition from Milk to Roughage:
Weighing your young animals can help you determine the best time to transition from milk to roughage. This is because you can track their weight and growth rate, and identify when they are ready for the transition. By doing this, you can ensure that your animals receive the right amount of nutrients and avoid any potential health issues.
8. Maintain a Comprehensive Logbook at Transfer or Slaughter:
Weighing your animals also allows you to maintain a comprehensive logbook at transfer or slaughter. This is because you can track their weight and growth rate over time, and record any health issues or medication dosages. By doing this, you can ensure that your animals are transferred or slaughtered in a safe and humane manner, while also maintaining detailed records for future reference.
In conclusion, weighing your livestock is an essential aspect of animal farming success. It provides valuable information that can help you make informed decisions about their management and wellbeing. By regularly weighing your animals, you can improve their growth and nutrition, monitor their health, and make informed breeding and selling decisions.
