1991 Volume 22 Issue 2 Pages 95-102
This report deals with two points: the relationship between walk-through loads and walking conditions of cattle, and the factors influencing the measurement accuracy of the livestock walk-trough scale. The walk-through loads showed a pattern of two peaks in normally walking cattle, and a pattern of one peak in trotting cattle. Faster cattle produced more abrupt changes in their walk-through loads. The use of the walk-through approach had an effect on evening out cattle walk-through loads.
The experiment results showed that the number of steps cattle take walking through the scale platform, cattle gait speed, and the walk-through approach were the main factors influencing measurement accuracy. Fewer steps or faster cattle produced greater measurement errors. The walk-through approach improved the measurement accuracy greatly. The individual error, accuracy and precision of measurement were within ±1.01% of bodyweight, ±0.4kg and 2.04kg respectively, when the walk-through approach was used. These results clearly showed that a scale platform of 3.50m can provide reasonable measurement accuracy which meets the requirements of cattle management very well when the setting condition is satisfied.
