Do you use a scale?

[TheSpiceGirls]

I'm curious how many of you have/use a scale with your chickens? To weigh the chickens and their eggs.

I've thought about buying one, but I'm just not sure how much I'd use it. I'd need to get the more expensive model that goes up to 11 lbs since my Jersey Giant should max out around 10 lbs. Possibly a few ounces over.

And I'm not sure I'd bring it back into the kitchen after. Well, I suppose I could put it in a ziplock to weigh the girls and then bring it back inside.
I just can't decide if it's more a novilty or a must have.

Curious what you all have to say about a scale.

 

[elmo]

We try to weigh all our birds regularly as a way to monitor health since birds are expert at hiding symptoms of illness. But our largest chicken weighs less than 2 lbs, so the digital scale that we use to weigh our indoor cage birds is fine to use for the chickens as well.

I don't use the scale for anything else, and I keep it in our bird room.

 

[gritsar]

I have an ancient chicken scale that belonged to my late MIL and I use it to keep track of my adult birds weight. If it wasn't already here, I wouldn't have gone out and bought one.

For eggs, no I don't weigh them unless I'm curious about a particular eggs size. The eggs I collect from my coops go directly into the cartons. My egg customers know that some will be smaller than a store bought "large", but some will be much larger than the large. It all evens out.

 

[CMV]

I don't have a scale, so to check weights on my hens I just feel along their keels. If they have a nice padded area over the keel then they are good. If the keel is prominent then they are thin and I will keep an eye on them. This works most of the time, but I have one bird whose keel is very prominent regardless of her weight. I watched her for the longest time until I figured out that she just had a slightly odd body type. She tends to be a bit "athletic" compared to all the rest.

I wish I had an egg scale. It's on my wish list. Recently, one of my girls laid the biggest egg I have ever seen. I really wanted to weigh that baby. My husband ate it before I could get a scale, though.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Quote:
Oh, that's funny that your husband ate the egg before you could weigh it.

 

[homesteadapps]

A 50 pound fish scale and a bucket work very well to weigh live chickens, feed, etc.

 

[alhanse77]

I use a small kitchen scale to weigh my eggs after they are washed. I do this mostly out of curiosity. It is fun for me to know what my girls are laying! Most of my eggs weigh 2.0-2.2 oz. (large). Today I got one that weighed in at 2.3 oz. (XL).

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I use a canning scale to weigh my feed. I haven't thought about weighing chickens with it.

 

[MuranoFarms]

What about a postal scale? You can stick a big bowl or pot on it.....I can't think of what it's called but there's a button you push to zero it out after you add a container to it. Then just plop the chicken inside. I think mine goes up to 25 lbs.

 

[cybercat]

Wieghing eggs many do just to see what hens are laying. Weighing chickens is more a breeder thing. They do it to see if chickens meet standard body weight. I weigh eggs regularly to see what is produced and I weigh chicks as they grow too see how they are gaining.