Cattle Boss Regular calf weigh sling

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If you are going to select for calving ease, you have to actually weigh calves, and guessing at birth weight is worse than not recording it. A sling hangs off a scale hook and turns a two-minute job into something you can do beside the cow while the calf is still light enough to lift. This is the plain version: a sling that supports the calf's body with the legs hanging free, no additional restraint straps. For a wet newborn in the first hours it is usually all you need, because they have not got the strength or the coordination to fight it. The limitation is the same as its simplicity. An older, stronger calf can scramble out of a plain sling, and once one has kicked free on you, you will want the version with front and rear straps. If you are weighing anything beyond the first day or so, buy that one instead. Weigh quickly and get the calf back to the cow. Zero the scale with the empty sling hanging on it so you are not adding sling weight into every record. Keep an eye on where the cow is before you pick up her calf, because a protective mother is the real hazard here, not the scale. Rinse and dry the sling after use and check the stitching and lifting loop before every calving season.