I am going to get a bit more scientific in the management of my mare’s diet, as we try to get some pounds on her. I’ve set up an account at FeedXL, and part of what they ask about diet is how much of everything your horse is eating. And of course her feed is measured out in scoops, and FeedXL correctly wants to know weights.
Any good tips on a cheap way and uncomplicated to weigh feed at the barn? (IE, I don’t want to acquire an expensive scale, if possible)
Would something like this work?
with the food to be weighed measured into a lightweight plastic grocery bag?
I use a large food scale, think I found it for $10 or less at Farm & Fleet, any general type store should have them (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and zero it out with the bucket on it, then pour feed in.
Put a measured amount in a lightweight plastic bag (i.e. the type you put produce in) and weigh it at the supermarket.
For old-school pellets & sweet feed, 1 quart is approximately equal to 1 lb.
I’m sure this doesn’t hold true for many of the new formulations.
At thrift shops, and second hand stores you can frequently find old kitchen scales. They may be battered but are usually sturdy and accurate. sorta like this but homelier
Take a few 1 gallon plastic freezer bag to the barn. Dump a scoop in 1 bag, squeeze out air, seal. Dump a 1/2 scoop in a 2nd bag, squeeze out air.
Take both bags home (assuming you have a scale) and weigh them.
You can get a fish scale at Walmart, I have this one, it was $5.00 adn goes up to 50 lbs:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Scale-with-Tape/16637411
I hang a bucket on the scale, then set it to “0” lbs. Then, whatever I add to it, the weight of that feed is what the scale shows.
Then I can use that amount and fill the scoop, so I know for next time just how much of the scoop I need of that feed to equal say, 2 lbs for example.
I use the same scale that I weigh hay with - the American Weigh fish scale referenced above. If you have a kitchen or postal scale, that works too. I slip mine into a plastic zip bag to keep clean if I take it to the barn. All are pretty cheap and I find a scale useful for a lot of things (baking especially, other cooking, weighing packages to mail, etc.). A lightweight luggage scale from Target or similar would be super cheap and work for feed, just isn’t durable enough for me and weighing hay, cold weather, etc.
More horse owners and barn managers should weigh their feed. It’s amazing how many still think a quart of feed equals one pound.
Also, depending on what feed you are using, you may be able to find the pounds per quart online from the manufacturer or retailer. If you buy your feed at Southern States (Triple Crown, Legends, or Southern States brands), for example, they have a chart here: http://www.southernstates.com/docs/eq/0610_densitymeasurements.pdf
Blue Seal also has a chart here: http://www.blueseal.com/equine/index.php
Plastic garbage bag with the built-in tie-off handle and a fish scale works well for weighing hay, cubes, any concentrate.
Easier than setting the tare weight on the scale.
I adamantly agree! When I got my little kitchen scale off ebay to use in the barn, I was so surprised at the variation in weights. I can’t imagine ever going back to the guessing game.
A kitchen scale is cheap and very handy to have for all kinds of things.
If you are not willing to buy one, measure out and put in baggies like someone else mentioned and carry the baggies to your local grocery store and drop the baggie on one of the scales in the produce department.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;6537630]
I use a large food scale, think I found it for $10 or less at Farm & Fleet, any general type store should have them (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and zero it out with the bucket on it, then pour feed in.[/QUOTE]
I second this. I use one and just fill a coffee can ( or whatever) and it is easy. Just remember to place your container on first and zero it out.
For grain for a horse we were rehabbing out of a bad situation and needed several meals a day, we used a plain Walmart kitchen scale, those with a transparent salad bow looking top.
It didn’t cost but a few dollars and you could weight the grain in the bowl or take it off and weight your full scoop right on the round platform, after first weighing the scoop empty.
Still works fine after all these years.
I have one of those hanging scales. Put the bucket on, zero it, dump the feed in, weigh it, yay.
This is waaaaaay fancier than mine, and it’s less than $13.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scale-Digital-0-05-Pounds/dp/B0012TDR9E
I just bought one of those cheap, small food scales at the local grocery store to weigh my horses grain in. Can really only fit just over a pound of grain, but my horses at home don’t get a lot and it really doesn’t take a long time to measure out a few pounds.
This one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Scale-with-Tape/16637411
No batteries
$5.00 at Walmart
You can hang it up
You can hang a hay bag or net from it
Goes up to 50 lbs.
I am also looking for a new scale to measure the Diets but don’t know any company that offering really cheap rates for their food scales. My old scale have some faults that’s why i am going to buy a new one with cheap rates and multiple features.
[QUOTE=retrofit;6537636]
Put a measured amount in a lightweight plastic bag (i.e. the type you put produce in) and weigh it at the supermarket.
For old-school pellets & sweet feed, 1 quart is approximately equal to 1 lb.
I’m sure this doesn’t hold true for many of the new formulations.[/QUOTE]
This is what I do! PSA: feed like Ultium, Omolene 500, etc, are by weight heavier than their same volume cousins like BS Sentinel, Strider, etc.
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