TCFA Feedyard Technician Certification Practice Test

The recommended practice for weighing cattle in a feedyard is every 30 to 90 days. This frequency allows for effective monitoring of weight gain and overall health without causing excessive stress to the animals.

Weighing cattle regularly within this time frame strikes a balance between obtaining enough data to evaluate performance and minimizing disruption to their routine. This interval provides feedlot managers with essential information to assess feeding strategies, adjust diets based on growth rates, and make informed management decisions.

Weighing daily may not be practical and could stress the animals, leading to potential negative effects on their health and well-being. Additionally, more frequent weighing, such as daily or weekly, does not necessarily yield significantly more useful data for evaluating long-term growth trends. On the other hand, weighing only at the beginning and end of the feeding period would not provide sufficient insights into interim performance and may lead to inadequate adjustments in management practices.

Thus, weighing cattle every 30 to 90 days is the ideal approach for maintaining optimal growth monitoring and management in a feedyard setting.