Tips for reducing cattle shrink when weighing your livestock

Cattle shrink refers to the weight loss that cattle experience in the critical hours leading up to their being weighed and priced on the market. This weight loss results in a profit loss for livestock producers and is best avoided as much as possible. Here are some tips for minimizing cattle shrink, especially during the weighing process.

Understanding cattle shrink

The weight loss cattle undergo before market time is generally placed in one of two categories:

Tissue shrink, which refers to the loss of fluid from body tissues and is mainly caused by stress. It may take cattle 10 to 36 days to recover weight loss caused by tissue shrink.
Fill shrink, also called excretory shrink, is the loss of belly fill (food and water). This is caused by decreased food and water intake in the hours before weighing as well as stress.

A study in Iowa involving 4,685 feeder cattle found that cattle purchased from ranchers lost on average 7.2% of their weight due to cattle shrink.

Reducing cattle shrink during the weighing process

Cattle can lose as much as 3% of their weight during the weighing process. Using gentle handling methods for moving and processing cattle can mitigate this issue. One of the main mistakes that livestock producers make during the weighing process is to cram cows and calves into an alley for sorting, inducing stress in the cattle. It’s better to sort cows in a larger pen beforehand, then to process them quickly, without overcrowding them.

Additionally, during this time, avoid yelling or whistling at cattle and using electric prods, whips and dogs.

A well-designed livestock scale that keeps cattle comfortably in place can also make a big difference.

Other factors affecting cattle shrink

Additional causes of cattle shrink include:

Overcrowded trucks

On average, cattle shrink 2% during transport. Overcrowding is a critical factor as it causes stress and occasional injury.

Type of feed

Cattle that eat lush green grass prior to market time tend to shrink more compared with cattle that consume dried grass or hay, which is digested more slowly.

Time of day

When cattle are weighed early in the morning, they have little to no time to graze. It has been shown that cattle shrink is reduced when cattle have been allowed to graze until mid-morning.

Livestock and industrial scales in Calgary and throughout Alberta

At Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd., we can set you up with a livestock or cow and livestock scale designed for easy, stress-free weighing of cattle. Contact us today for further information or for a free quote on a livestock scale in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer or elsewhere in Alberta.

What accessories are available for floor scales?

Floors scales allow businesses to efficiently weigh large items at ground level. They can, moreover, be customized for a variety of specific applications. Here are some of the top accessories available for floor scales.

Printers

Label and ticket printers are common accessories for floor scales.

Label printers print individual weight receipts with custom graphics and bar codes. Some businesses use this type of printer to print out weight readings and attach them to containers, allowing them to conveniently identify the weight of a container after it’s been weighed.

Ticket printers print documents with detailed weight data. This type of printer is ideal for businesses that keep hard copies of weight readings to use for detailed analyses.

Ramps

One of the benefits of having a floor scale is that rests close to ground level, allowing you to easily weigh bulky and heavy loads. Attaching a ramp to your floor scale can further facilitate the weighing process, making it possible for you to wheel items right up onto the scale.

Ramps are available in a variety of heights and widths to accommodate the particular dimensions of your floor scale.

Remote displays

A remote display allows you to view weight readings in large, clear LED letters. The device can be placed indoors or outdoors and be far removed from the scale itself.

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. offers a range of high-quality remote displays. The products we carry feature high-intensity LEDs that are easy to read both in foul weather and direct sunlight.

Software

Nowadays, most businesses prefer to gather their information digitally as it allows for instant analysis of weight data.

Accurate/Western Scale provides scale software options such as SMART1 programs, which allow end-users to create their own custom applications and tickets. This software is user-friendly, but our staff is happy to set it up for you.

Surge protectors

By helping to prevent crashes and reboots, industrial-strength surge protectors help you avoid data loss and interruptions in your operations.

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd carries the Tripp-Lite Isobar4 Ultra Surge Protector. The Isobar is a top-selling premium suppressor. This four-outlet unit provides robust surge protection, reducing 6,000-volt surges to harmless levels of less than 35 volts.

Customized floor scales in Calgary and throughout Alberta

At Accurate Western/Scale Co. Ltd., we offer floor scales in custom sizes and equipped with whatever accessories your business needs. Contact us for more information or for a free quote in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Swift Current or elsewhere in Alberta.

How scales work: the science of scales

There are many types of scales including floor scales, truck scales, lab scales, cattle scales and more. While each has unique features and is used for specific applications, they’re all digital weighing devices that work in fundamentally the same way.

How does a digital scale work?

Digital scales rely on metallic devices called load cells, which are contained in the scale’s housing directly beneath the weighing platform. Load cells convert force (i.e. pressure or compression) into an electric signal that can be measured and converted into a weight reading.

This is possible because the metallic body of a load cell is slightly elastic and bends, under the pressure of the weighed item. When this bending occurs, the electric resistance in the device changes. This alteration in electric resistance is used to determine the weight of the item on the scale.

Because digital scales determine an item’s weight based on the deformation in the load cell, accidental deformation caused by environmental factors such as shocks or temperature changes can result in false readings. For this reason, it’s important to be diligent in maintaining one’s scales and get them calibrated regularly.

How do mechanical scales work?

Though not as popular as digital scales, mechanical scales such as spring scales and balances are used for a variety of applications. They have the advantage of being able to function without battery power or electricity.

The most common type of mechanical scale is a spring scale. This weighing device has a spring fixed at one end and a hook at the other. When an item is suspended on the hook, the weight of the item stretches the spring and subsequently moves the pointer of the dial face.

Balances are also still commonly used. In their traditional form (these weighing devices date back to at least 2000 BC) a mechanical balance consists of a pair of weighing pans suspended on either arm of a horizontal lever, which is attached to a central pole. Standard masses, whose weight is known, are added to the one weighing pan to offset the unknown mass in the opposite weighing pan and level the balance. When the balance is level, the weight of the unknown mass can be calculated with the sum of the standard masses.

Commercial and industrial scales in Alberta

Turn to Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. for state-of-the-art scales in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and Swift Currant. Contact us to learn more about our products or our scale inspection and calibration services.

What’s the difference between a commercial and an industrial scale?

There are many types of scales designed for a variety of applications, from pricing products at a meat counter to weighing livestock on a farm. However, all scales generally fall into two categories: commercial and industrial.

What are commercial scales?

Commercial scales are extremely precise and consequently tend to get used in retail transactions. They’re commonly found in grocery stores, jewelry stores, postal offices, and a range of other businesses. Retailers commonly use these scales in front of their customers so that both parties can see the weight and price of the product. They tend to be smaller and more portable than industrial scales.

Common features of commercial scales include printers for producing labels, removable platforms for quick clean-ups, and a bright dual-LED display for easy viewing for both the operator and the customer. Some commercial scales also include software features such as item memory, which eliminates repetitive price entries.

When they’re used to price products, commercial scales must be legal for trade. This means that they have to be certified by a representative of Measurement Canada or by an Authorized Service Provider such as Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd.

Commercial scales are also referred to as price computing scales, retail scales and food scales.

What are industrial scales?

Industrial scales are designed to be used on construction sites and farms, as well as in warehouses, factories and other industrial contexts. They’re resistant to moisture and impact and some are engineered to handle high-capacity and oversized loads. In addition, many industrial scales include advanced software features such as data collection, which provides valuable information for making business decisions.

Industrial scales are, moreover, designed to serve specific industrial applications. For example:

Lift truck and pallet jack scales are designed to integrate with these material handling devices to provide convenient weighing on the fly

Floor scales allow the operator to weigh heavy or large items at floor level

Truck scales are extremely heavy-duty, drive-on scales used to weigh road vehicles and their contents

Other industrial scales include conveyer belt scales, hopper scales, tank scales, crane scales, front end loader scales and livestock scales.

When industrial scales are used for commercial transactions, they need to be legal for trade. Provided they’re periodically calibrated, industrial scales can deliver high levels of precision.

Commercial and industrial scales in Alberta

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. carries a full selection of commercial and industrial scales. Turn to our experienced team if you need a truck scale, crane scale, hanging scale, livestock scale, retail scale or any other type of scale. We also provide inspection and calibration services in Calgary and throughout Alberta. Contact us to learn more.

Understanding scale IP ratings

An IP rating refers to the level of protection that an electrical device provides against solids and liquids. In other words, it tells you how dust-tight and water-resistant a device’s housing is. In this article, we explain how to interpret a scale’s IP rating.

Interpreting an IP rating

An IP rating is made up of two numbers. The first number indicates the level of protection against solids (right down to a fleck of dust) on a scale from 0 to 6. The second number indicates the level of protection against moisture on a scale of 0 to 9 (or 9K).

Protection against solids

The first number in the IP rating corresponds to the following protections:

· 0: no protection

· 1: protection against solid objects larger than 50 mm

· 2: protection against solid objects larger than 12 mm

· 3: protection against solid objects larger than 2.5 mm

· 4: protection against solid objects larger than 1 mm

· 5: full protection against dust interfering with the operation of equipment

· 6: equipment is dust-tight (no dust can reach the electrical components)

As an example, say the device has a rating of IP40 and therefore level-4 protection against solids. This means that its electrical components are protected against penetration of objects larger than 1 mm (wires, for example). However, dust and small debris could still penetrate the housing and come in contact with the electrical parts.

Protection against liquids

The second number corresponds to the following protections:

· 0: no protection

· 1: protection against vertically dripping water

· 2: protection against vertically dripping water when device is titled 15 degrees

· 3: protection against vertically dripping water when device is tilted 60 degrees

· 4: protection against splashing from any direction

· 5: protection against low-pressure jets

· 6: protection against powerful jets

· 7: protection against water immersion

· 8: protection against extended immersion under high pressure

· 9K: protection against high-pressure, high-temperature jets (such as pressure washers)

What IP rating should I look for in a scale?

Most quality commercial and industrial scales have the highest level of protection against solids (Level 6) and varying levels of protection against liquids. The level of moisture protection a scale requires depends on the environment where it will be used.

IP65 and IP67 scales are common for commercial and industrial applications. IP65-rated scales can be wiped down with a damp cloth and can withstand humid environments. P67-rated scales are splashproof and can be sprayed down for cleaning.

Purchase a precision scale in Alberta

Turn to Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. for a quality commercial or industrial weight scale. We also perform scale inspection and scale certifications in Calgary and throughout Alberta. Contact us to learn more.

The history of scales from 2000 B.C. to today

For thousands of years, scales have played a key role in human history, advancing the development of trade, commerce and science. Here’s how scales went from being simple weighing devices to sophisticated machines.

The balance (2000 B.C.)

The first weighing scales were balances, devices comprising two plates suspended on a horizontal beam attached to a central pole. The scales could freely tilt up and down on either side of the pole. To weigh an item, it had to be placed in a pan on one of the plates. Mass-setting stones were then deposited in an identical pan on the opposing plate until the plates were level. The number of stones used determined the object’s weight.

The oldest evidence of balances are mass-setting stones discovered near Pakistan that date back to around 2000 B.C. In addition, Egyptian hieroglyphs from this era depict scales being used. In fact, the scale played an important role in Egyptian mythology, as the god Anubis was believed to use one to weigh the hearts of the dead and therefore determine if they were worthy of entering the afterlife.

The Roberval balance (1600s)

The next significant development in scale technology didn’t come until 1669 when a French mathematician presented his weighing scale, the Roberval balance, to the French Academy. His balance had six horizontal beams rather than two. Its major innovation was at the level of precision. The weighed item and counterweight could be placed anywhere on the pans of the Roberval balance, whereas they had to be set at the exact centre on a traditional balance.

Spring scales (1800s)

The 18th and 19th centuries saw the invention and large-scale manufacture of the spring scale. Invented in England in 1770, spring scale measure the pressure exerted on a spring to determine the weight of an object. The spring scale was widely used to weigh letters and packages after the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post in the United Kingdom in 1840. This type of scale is still used today.

Digital scales (1900s)

In the 1980s, the first digital scales were produced. Digital scales rely on load cells, devices that are able to convert force to electrical signals. Digital scales are able to measure weights with extreme accuracy, which has made them indispensable for laboratory work and other applications that require high levels of precision.

Advanced customization (2000s)

Since the turn of the century, many innovations have made the advanced customization of digital scales possible. For example, digital scales can be integrated into industrial equipment, such as forklifts, conveyer belts, cranes and hoppers. And many of these scales are WiFi-enabled and can send weighing data directly to a computer.

Commercial and industrial scales in Alberta

Since 1992, Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. has been Alberta’s most trusted scale company. We install, inspect and certify commercial and industrial scales in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Swift Current and throughout Alberta. Contact us for more information.