Attracting Animals
Use this article as a guide to attracting animals to Optiweigh units, the Optiweigh attractant, other attractants you can use and how often you will need to fill your lick tub up
Introduction
The most important factor in the quality of Optiweigh data and the potential value to be gained from using an Optiweigh is in the consistency and the number of records a unit gets, and all this is directly correlated with how well an attractant attracts animals.
Our data shows that a good attractant will weigh 20-50 different animals per day. This contributes 50 to 100 animals to the 5 day rolling mob average, which will give good, consistent, and meaningful data. A poor performing attractant will weigh 0-5 animals a day. Effectively, this is as good as not filling the unit up.
Each mob and farm is different so how animals respond to certain attractants may be surprising or totally expected. The key is to keep an eye on how many records you're getting with each type of attractant.
The best attractants are economical, accessible, consistent, and attractive!
A new unit comes with two bags of Optiweigh Attractant by Agricon, this is the attractant we recommend, if you don't have access to it then try experimenting with some of the other attractants on the list below, or even easier, whatever you've got in the shed!
Types of Attractant
There are many attractants that can work well, here are some examples of the most common types:
- Optiweigh Attractant by Agricon
The Optiweigh Attractant by Agricon is a loose sweet dry lick with no grain in it. We have tested and trialled our lick and know it will increase the number of animals you get on your Optiweigh. Optiweigh attractant is available through your local rural reseller who can order it through our lick supplier, Agricon.
- Molasses based blocks
Molasses blocks are the most common attractant in Australia due to their availability and consistency attracting animals.
Please reach out and let us know what attractants you have found to be successful! We love hearing fresh ideas people have for getting more records.
Some other attractants Optiweigh owners use are:
- Loose dry licks
- Molasses
- Protein meals
- Salt blocks
- and more!
We advise against using urea
In-Paddock Positioning
A key to attracting animals is positioning of the unit in the paddock. The unit must be where animals spend time, and where they won't get distracted by other inputs, e.g. feeders.
In general, the best spots to position a unit are near water, or where the animals camp. Still keeping in mind the unit should be on level ground and facing North (southern hemisphere).
Examples of Positioning Affecting Attendance
- A producer in the western districts of Victoria was cell-grazing with his cattle and didn't have time to move the unit up to the next water so just put it through the gate. He wasn't getting much data for a week so moved the unit near the trough in the same paddock (about 500m away) and went from 5 animals/day to 25 animals/day.
- A producer in central NSW was feeding lambs in a small paddock and had his unit next to the feeders. After moving the unit next to the trough on the other side of the paddock (150m away), her records increased by 80%.
- A producer in central QLD over summer had his unit near water and was fairly happy with attendance, out of interest, he moved the unit over to their camp under some trees 300m away. His records doubled immediately. The animals were spending as little time in the sun as possible during the hot summer, but when the unit was a bit closer to the shade they were happy to jump on.
Use of Lick Limiter
In the bottom of your lick tub there is a lick limiter provided. This is a small plastic black grate. Place this on top of your dry lick or meal and make sure it is secured to the Optiweigh (cattle can easily pick it up and take it away!).
If using blocks, leave the limiter on the bottom and place the block on top. We also recommend unscrewing the bung to ensure rain doesn't ruin the block.
Use of Liquids
If you use molasses or other liquids we have a molasses roller which bolts on to your lick tub.
Call the Optiweigh Support Team to order one 1300 678 493
Attractant Longevity vs Records
There is a balance between number of days the attractant lasts (Attractant Longevity) and number of records. These two metrics are inversely correlated, but we want both to be as high as possible. From our experience, an attractant that lasts 7 days will get you the best of both worlds, enough time between refills, and enough records for good data.
This does depend on the type of attractant you are using. If you are using Optiweigh attractant, we find you normally need to fill it up once a week. Determine other attractant success through on-farm trials, in general, they'll normally be about a week.
Watch the bottom column chart in the weight chart to see how many animals are contributing to your average.
Tips for Low Attendance
The most common reason for low attendance is the lick tub being empty. i.e. Once you start to see the number of animals visiting the Optiweigh reduce, you most likely need to fill up your lick tub.
If that is not the case, here are some more ideas:
- Ensure the positioning of the unit is optimal (as above)
- Trial some different attractants
- Place 4 or 5 cheap lick blocks around the unit to get animals comfortable being nearby
- Temporarily use grain or other additives to attract the animals
- Give Optiweigh Support a call to discuss your specific situation
Often, once the animals are on, you can't keep them away!
Training Animals
Generally, animals won't need to be trained on to a unit, but here are some ideas if it is required:
- Put the unit in the yards / a small paddock / containment yard with the mob you want to train
- To train calves/lambs, put the unit in the paddock with them before weaning
- Frequently use an attractant that may not last very long but will get them very excited, e.g. grain, pellets, other additives
For more information about attracting animals please call Optiweigh support on 1300 678 493
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