Livestock feedlot management method and apparatus

Apparatus for separating feedlot animals into groups in accordance with weight gain characteristics which comprises;

• a walk-through scale for determining the initial weight of each animal;
• chute and gate means for directing said animals from said scale to at least one feeding pen;
• chute and gate means for directing said animals from said at least one feeding pen to said scale at a date later than the date of the initial weighing to obtain a later weight;
• means for entering identifying numbers assigned to each animal and said initial and later weights into a memory system at the time of each respective weighing and for entering into said memory system the time period between said initial and said later weighings and criteria as to acceptable average daily weight gain characteristics;
• means for calculating average daily weight gains for each animal and comparing them to said criteria;
• and
• means for directing each animal leaving said scale after said later weighing to one of a plurality of pens in accordance with the degree to which said weight gain criteria are met;
• whereby animals failing to meet said criteria can be separated from feedlot herd at an early point in the feeding period.

A method of grouping animals according to weight gain characteristics and of culling animals having poor weight gain characteristics from a feed lot herd which comprises:

• providing an identifying number for each of said animals;
• entering the identifying numbers into a memory system;
• guiding each animal individually through a walk-through scale to determine the initial weight of each animal;
• entering the initial weight of each animal into the memory system;
• displaying the initial weight of each animal while in the scale for observation;
• indicating whether the initial weight of each animal is in a selected mid-range of weights or is above or below that range;
• actuating a detector as each animal leaves the scale to automatically open the scale entrance for the next animal;
• guiding each animal to one of a first, second and third feeding pen according to weights above, within or below said mid-range respectively;
• after feeding said animals for a selected number of days which constitute a portion of a normal feeding period for such animals, guiding said animals from said first, second and third feeding pens through said scale to obtain a second weight for each animal;
• entering the identifying number and the second weight for each animal into said memory system;
• comparing the initial and second weights for each animal in relation to the time period between respective weighings to determine the average daily weight gain for each animal;
• comparing the average daily weight gain for each animal to a selected minimum acceptable daily weight gain;
• opening and closing appropriate ones of a plurality of gates along at least one chute extending away from the outlet of said scale to guide animals having an average daily weight gain below the minimum acceptable daily weight gain to a cull pen and to guide other animals to at least one feeding pen for continuation of the feeding period.