New Weigh Scale is For The Birds

New Weigh Scale is For The Birds LIVESTOCK Handling 6-4-33 You can get the average weight of an entire flock of chickens, turkeys or other birds automatically with a new weigh system developed by a firm in England. What's more, with the push of a button, the new Perchway system will tell you how many birds it has weighed and the number of birds weighed at a range of weights either side of the average ù all without you having to touch a single bird. The key component of the system is a perch suspended near the floor by a cable connected to electronic strain gauges set to send signals to a central microprocessor located anywhere in the building. When a bird hops on the perch to roost, its weight is automatically recorded. Each perch handles up to 10,000 birds, and each microprocessor will assimilate the data from up to eight perches. The computer can be programmed by the operator to reject weights outside a certain range so that, if two birds get on the perch at once, the amount is rejected. Mike Turner of the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering, which developed the unit, says regular weighing of birds is important to check such things as feed conversion efficiency to control diets, for maximum production of fertile eggs, or for experimental and breeding purposes. Manual weighing is time consuming and often causes stress to birds, he notes. The Perchway system sells for around $1,800 including three perches, a micro-processor and a display unit. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Autosystems, Crosland, Hall, Netherton, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England.

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