Macaw Weights Thread

[plax]

If anyone wants to share weight figures for their birds or discuss bird weight-related issues, bird weighing procedures, or equipment utilized to weigh birds, please feel free to post here.

 

[Alisana]

Equipment: T-Stand plus kitchen grab scale

Waiting, waiting on macaw

 

[azdesertrhino]

We use a scale similar to the one pictured below. We Tell MAC to perch. Usually takes 2 or 3 "Perch" and he gets on the perch.

He moves around a bit but his weight is in a consistent range.

 

[plax]

Each of my 4 will step onto my scale's perch just by holding them near it. If ever I change the perch on it, though, Zaf becomes afraid of it for a few days then begins to step onto it again (with a bit of persuasion).

 

[MacawGuy]

I Need to get a scale. Where be the best place. Ebay

 

[Spiritbird]

Look up birdscales.com This person has been in the business a long long time and know their stuff.

 

[plax]

Look up birdscales.com This person has been in the business a long long time and know their stuff.

Thanks. That's great information

 

[WharfRat]

I've gone thru 3 scales in less than a year, all just junk IMO, they all worked for maybe a month before messing up & not giving accurate readings. After messaging with Plax about weights I do want to post up what info I have though (will take a bit to get all the info together). All my info will be based on GW's all by the same parents to show the variations in their sizes and weight.

 

[plax]

I've gone thru 3 scales in less than a year, all just junk IMO, they all worked for maybe a month before messing up & not giving accurate readings. After messaging with Plax about weights I do want to post up what info I have though (will take a bit to get all the info together). All my info will be based on GW's all by the same parents to show the variations in their sizes and weight.

That purple scale I posted a picture of in the other thread (I removed the post since it seemed like I was clearly trying to hijack the thread at that point) is a 'My Weigh' unit. It's been very dependable and very accurate over the years. It always displays to the gram when I check it with the calibration weights at 500, 1000, and 3000 gram increment check points.

Although my scale has lasted for years and has been extremely dependable, I have to say that My Weigh support is the worst I've ever encountered. I'll explain below so people can get an idea what they may be in for after purchasing a My Weigh scale.

My upsetting experience:

I recently put a wider perch on my My Weigh scale. I thus needed to somehow extend its base platform to keep it from tipping from a bird's weight if the bird decided to move far to one side on the new wider perch. I'd also misplaced my original calibration procedure instructions for the scale, because I seldom have to calibrate it. But since my scale model had been discontinued, My Weigh had removed the service manual text for it from their website. Hence I wanted to ask them for the calibration procedure. Secondly, there are rail slots molded into the plastic on the bottom of my scale that I wanted to ask My Weigh about as a potential means to secure the scale's base to a counter or a table. I wanted to ask them if there was an accessory part that I could purchase or otherwise locate that would fit into these slots to achieve this.

My Weigh provides an email contact support form on their website as well as a customer support phone number. The website description assures the reader that they will respond to all email support requests within a few days. And the automated verbal dialog that one hears when calling their support phone number assures the caller that they will return the call within a few days if the caller leaves a name and phone number. So I sent an email support request first, waited a few days, but got zero response. Consequently, I called their support phone number and left my name and my phone number, waited a few more days, but got zero response from that either. So I called back and left my information again. I got zero response again. They simply didn't respond to any of my efforts.

Thankfully I was later able to locate my original pdf document for the scale. It contained the calibration procedure. Then, I made my own base out of aluminum flatbar. It works like a charm and my My Weigh scale is still dead accurate according to the calibration weight standards. But even so, I have to say that I will never purchase another My Weigh scale again.

That's my scale story.

 

[WharfRat]

I am NOT having a lot of success finding my info yet, kinda like a "needle in a haystack" search, but I'm still looking.

 

[WharfRat]

Ok, I'm finally making some progress, I guess I should be more descriptive in the future, my 2 are Bolivian Green Wings as opposed to a "std." GW. Evidently the size difference is quite noticeable. I'm about to get some scales out to see if I can get them working, kinda pointless without being able to weigh my own birds.

 

[plax]

Ok, I'm finally making some progress, I guess I should be more descriptive in the future, my 2 are Bolivian Green Wings as opposed to a "std." GW. Evidently the size difference is quite noticeable.

FWIW, I have no idea whether Salsa is a standard GW or a Bolivian. I'm unsure how to tell and don't know what the respective weight/size factors are for each.

 

[WharfRat]

^^&(@^#)#^#) sure, go ahead and make me look that up again :09: :22:

 

[plax]

^^&(@^#)#^#) sure, go ahead and make me look that up again :09: :22:

haha, sorry

Whatever he is, one of my goals is to get Sals and Zaf to be able to occasionally play together, since they are so close in size. I think it would be great if they could become 'friends' at some level.

 

[Spiritbird]

That birdscales.com place is good. I called them up and they asked what kind of bird I had. Then they proceeded to give me all the options they had available from the lowest price to the highest price. They do nothing but bird scales.


http://www.birdscales.com/

 

[WharfRat]

one of my goals is to get Sals and Zaf to be able to occasionally play together, since they are so close in size.

Mine are real close in size but world's apart personality wise. They can get along, but more often than naught, Miri tries to be the dominant one and that just ain't happening. When I say ReaRea is Queen here, I ain't saying that verbally, it's literally.

 

[plax]

That birdscales.com place is good. I called them up and they asked what kind of bird I had. Then they proceeded to give me all the options they had available from the lowest price to the highest price. They do nothing but bird scales.

I may just have to look into a backup. That's a great resource!

Mine are real close in size but world's apart personality wise. They can get along, but more often than naught, Miri tries to be the dominant one and that just ain't happening. When I say ReaRea is Queen here, I ain't saying that verbally, it's literally.

These two were starting off really well, rubbing beaks and seemingly interested in one another. The when Sals started leaping on me when I'd walk by with Zaf, all bets were off. Zaf decided that Sals is threatening.

 

[azdesertrhino]

I weighed MAC this morning and he comes in at about 1075 grams.

He does not know how to stand still on the scale so it bounces around some but that is about the range he runs in.

2.5 year old B&G Macaw.

 

[plax]

I weighed MAC this morning and he comes in at about 1075 grams.

He does not know how to stand still on the scale so it bounces around some but that is about the range he runs in.

2.5 year old B&G Macaw.

That sounds like a good weight for a B&G. My B&G, Jack, has been hovering around 1150 grams for several months. I've found that certain times of the year he tends to eat more and his weight increases as a result. Earlier in the year he was up to 1205 grams. And he never looks fat; he's a slender, tall bird. And by the way, I weigh my birds in the morning before they've eaten anything.

 

[plax]

I had Zaf on my shoulder while writing my last response and it got me thinking about full crops and weight. I reached up and felt his crop and realized he had eaten recently so I went over and popped him on the scale just to see what he would weigh with food in him. Then I decided to snap some pictures of him sitting on the scale. Here they are...

He's about 25 grams or so above what he weighs empty in the morning.