Weighing Live Birds?

[3KillerBs]

What's your best technique for getting good weights on live birds?

I've got a fish scale and a 5-gallon bucket but my chickens keep jumping out of the bucket before I can get a solid weight.

 

[Molpet]

I have a postal scale and a small dog crate.

 

[Brooks_]

Haven't done it but I guess a regular person scale with my weight as the tare would be easiest.

 

[Kessel23]

For peacocks I usually wrap them in a bed sheet and put them on the scale then subtract the weight of the sheet. For heavy birds like turkeys I just hold the bird and step on the scale then subtract my weight.

 

[Xouie]

I had a hard time with some Cornish cross in a bucket. They didn’t like the unstable footing. Now I have a digital postal/kitchen scale and 13 qt clear bin.

1. Scale on
2. Bin on scale (tare)
3. Bird in bin, on its back
4. Press “save” to save weight
5. Bird out, read weight

If a bird was still fussy, I guess I’d have used a towel to cover it. The bin worked for my turkeys too until they outgrew it. Then I tried the standard scale method — not fun when the bird was almost 1/4 my weight.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have a postal scale and a small dog crate.

Could I see a photo of that setup?

For peacocks I usually wrap them in a bed sheet and put them on the scale then subtract the weight of the sheet. For heavy birds like turkeys I just hold the bird and step on the scale then subtract my weight.

Wow.

Where do you do this? I can't think how I'd get my bathroom scale level in the run. Does your scale read pounds and ounces or are you happy with the nearest pound?

 

[Molpet]

Could I see a photo of that setup?

Well here's the scale.

And I put a Plastic crate with the bird on it.

 

[Kessel23]

Could I see a photo of that setup?



Wow.

Where do you do this? I can't think how I'd get my bathroom scale level in the run. Does your scale read pounds and ounces or are you happy with the nearest pound?

I use a smaller scale for the peafowl that's to the ounce. I bring them inside to do it. Turkeys I do on the deck with a bathroom scale, to the pound.

 

[Weeg]

It weight my Cornish X, I used my food scale and a plastic crate and roll of duck tape.
Place duck tape on its side on the food scale, tear that. Place Plastic Bin on roll of duck tape, Tear that. Then place bird in bin standing up, and hold them in the crate while a helping hand places a few strips of duck tape over the top of the bin, to hold them in long enough to get the weight. Pull your hands off and read that weight.

I use the duck tape because the bin is to big for the food scale, and sits partially on the ground if not lifted off the scale some. Worked pretty good.

 

[Tre3hugger]

could ya just drill a couple air holes and stick the lid on the bucket?