Scales are a great way to gather valuable information that could help your business grow, and in some cases, keep your livestock safe and healthy. Farms require unique and specialized equipment to keep track of the animal’s development for business and other activities.
An essential element is an industrial scale; these are accurate and reliable machines that provide important information in seconds to better your practices. Choosing between portable and permanent livestock scales depends greatly on your farm’s volume and other characteristics.
Many farm products deal with weight, whether it’s meat, milk, vegetables, or even animals for sale, so trusting the results from a scale is indispensable. If you need a livestock scale and are thinking about getting one, you learn which option would be best for you—portable or permanent.
What Are Livestock Scales?
With advancements in technology finding solutions to common problems, livestock scales appeared as the result of complications to weight animals. Before these machines existed, farmers would use regular scales to try and measure newly born calf, which would usually yield inaccurate results.
Livestock scales are large scales with sensors that provide precision to weigh anything that stands on a large platform. Cows and farm animals tend to move a lot, which is why these scales have special attachments like bars to prevent them from moving too much.
Livestock scales are ideal for checking on farm animals’ development and growth; this way, you can keep them healthy and monitor their progress. They also provide valuable information to understand if they are getting enough food, If the animals have growth problems, and when they are ready for sale or to become other products.
Portable Livestock Scales
This type of scale is mobile; you can set it up in different locations if the surface is flat. Livestock scales work with sensors that work to deliver information. These sensors work with sophisticated technology that gathers accurate information no matter where the animal is standing.
Portable scales are ideal for smaller farms that use an area for different activities and low volumes of cattle that need measuring not as constantly. The size of these scales is smaller but efficient; you can put them away in a safe location when not in use, and the materials that conform this piece of equipment, like steel, are strong and resistant.
To move portable scales, you need heavy-duty equipment, like a truck or a trailer, since the materials used to make it are heavy but easy to transport. Portable scales come in smaller sizes, but that still allows an individual or group weighting with accurate results. They are the ideal option for an entrance alleyway where the animals stop before going into their corral.
Permanent Livestock Scale
This scale is ideal for large volumes of livestock and constant use. The location for this type of scale needs to match properly with the path and location of the animals. Permanent scales work best over concrete; they have permanent bolts that prevent them from moving site or while in use.
These heavy-duty machines have different benefits, from easy care to precision and a long lifespan. You can weigh animals constantly without worrying about wearing down the machine because the materials are strong and durable.
The technology for this scale lets you connect it directly to your smartphone to get immediate numbers and results without attaching a screen. They are heavier in size, making it complicated to move around, but they are an excellent and safe option for your farm.
Different Scale Models
Both portable and permanent livestock scales come in different models that adapt to your needs to provide accurate and reliable results. It all depends on the usage and volume of animals you have and can adapt to different locations, making it convenient.
Maintenance on both is essential to keep them running nice and smooth, especially when usage includes movement, dirt, and debris. The sensors are highly functional and provide accurate numbers, but sometimes, smaller items like rocks and dirt could block a sensor and cause some problems.
The models have different characteristics, from size to shape and even colors. Finding the right option for you with the help of professionals will improve your whole farming experience, including your animals. Some models have blockers to make your animals feel safer and more comfortable.
Reduce Stress on Animals
One of the main characteristics of permanent livestock scales is that you can have special fixed attachments that will reduce animal stress. These attachments include softer materials for their hooves and view blockers around the steel bars to avoid feeling trapped.
Mobile or portable scales are smaller, but you can also find and use smaller attachments to reduce stress, although they might not be as effective as the permanent ones. Reducing stress will prevent the animals from moving too much and stressing the other animals, resulting in more accurate numbers from the sensors.
The Right Investment
Having a farm and working with many animals is much work, but the right equipment will decrease your stress and increase productivity. Choosing the right scale will save you money, time, and errors; the right location with the right amount of work will deliver optimal results.
Both scales have benefits, like time management and accuracy, but sometimes, one will be better suited for the job than the other. The right scale will let you take advantage of your space, with a comfortable location for your cattle and the right flow.
Scale Maintenance Tips
After every use, depending on volume and how many days a week you weigh your cattle, you can power wash the scale to keep it ready. Both permanent and portable are water-resistant, meaning rain is not a problem and washing it becomes easier.
At least once a month, you need to check your results in numbers to find any inconsistencies with the sensors, and if there are some, you need professionals to help you. Heavy-duty machinery needs constant monitoring because even when they have strong materials, time, usage, and debris could cause small inconveniences.
Scheduling monthly maintenance will prevent delays, future issues, and malfunctions. Permanent scales have a unique location where all their parts stay at once, but portable ones need special attention when being transported, so as not to lose any parts or cause damage to the machinery.
