Weighing livestock for growth monitoring, dosing, and market assessment involves handling that can cause significant stress if done poorly, but low-stress techniques benefit both animals and productivity.
Livestock handling — including weighing — is one of the most frequent sources of acute fear and stress in farm animals. The traditional approach of forcing animals through narrow races toward a scale using noise, electric prods, and physical pressure causes measurable physiological stress that has real welfare and productivity costs. Low-stress stockmanship, developed through the work of Temple Grandin and others, demonstrates that the same outcomes can be achieved with less fear by working with animal behaviour rather than against it — using flight zone principles, avoiding sudden movements, and rewarding calm approach. The business case for low-stress handling is strong, as is the welfare case, making this an area where farmer interests and animal welfare are well-aligned.