Record Keeping on Cattle

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Bamadan

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Sep 9, 2016
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Location
North Central Alabama
I would like to hear from any of you on this topic, I'd like to know how you handle your record keeping. As in, what records you keep, how detailed they are, if you have certain forms that you use (and if you would share those forms).
I am looking for info on records you may keep on individual cows, but any other ideas on record keeping you have would be welcomed.
*Note: We have had four days of rain in the last 8 days here in North Central Alabama. First significant rain in 3 months, and we are THANKFUL!!!
 
A.J.":c7x57dk3 said:
M-5":c7x57dk3 said:
Cattlemax

+1. Been very satisfied with it. Still using the old version tho.
The old version is much better. I had to replace my computer some time back and they weren;t reautorizing the old one. Signed up for the new one, I'm using it but it isn;t nearly as friendly as the old version. Supposedly it can do more but I've found that from what I used to do I can;t do it anymore. Particularly breeding data and reports
 
dun":2qqjm9yb said:
A.J.":2qqjm9yb said:
M-5":2qqjm9yb said:
Cattlemax

+1. Been very satisfied with it. Still using the old version tho.
The old version is much better. I had to replace my computer some time back and they weren;t reautorizing the old one. Signed up for the new one, I'm using it but it isn;t nearly as friendly as the old version. Supposedly it can do more but I've found that from what I used to do I can;t do it anymore. Particularly breeding data and reports

If you still have that old computer, get one of these computer experts, tell them that you need them to get the hard drive and transfer the old version to the new computer. Had my old laptop crash with all my work stuff for DHIA. It was an XP version. The lady that does my computer fix it stuff, salvaged the hard drive, transferred the DHIA info and I was good to go. Don't see why there has to be any reauthorization if you are just transfering it to the newer computer.
 
I use plain old notebook paper for the day to day lists. Keep things in one of those contractor Clipboards, the kind that you can open, like to keep contracts or estimate sheets in. The top has a clip thing on top so I can see the paper I need and it gives me a hard writing surface if I need it. Only thing I added was a BIG rubber band to roll up over the bottom end to keep the papers in place.
I have a separate sheet for each pasture we have; listed is cow # , calving date, color & sex of calf and calf #. Date they were moved to that pasture, and date and # of bull that went in there. Then the date when he was taken out. I put the cows in numerical order so when I am checking pastures, I can make a little pencil check as I see each one and I know who is missing. My son only makes head counts, but then when he comes up short, I have to go see WHO is missing.
I use a separate sheet for preg check day, list the cows as they go through the chute, date of preg ck., preg how long, and a check if they get Blackleg and Lepto; if they are open they get sorted into a separate pen and we decide what to do after the vet has gone.
I keep all these sheets, then transfer data to a cow card that has all the info for that cow. Birthdate, Sire & dam, Calving date each year and what she had. Many of them get the weight of the calf when sold and price per pound. Cow card is heavy weight paper like poster paper that I got printed up at staples; fits in a 3 ring notebook. Use a different color for each year so I can tell at a glance when they were born. Use a plain white one for all bought cows. Have been told it is a lot of work, but when my son asks who/what /when, I can usually find it. I am not very handy with electronic stuff, and having some issues with them not working when I need them like at work, would just rather have it on paper in front of me. The paper doesn't have batteries that die, or programs that get corrupted. I make a second copy on my printer so that if one gets lost/dirty, I can just get another copy. Not for everybody, just what I've come up with over the years.
 
Also, when we group cows that are bred and due to calve, they get a sheet according to where they are, and I make a note who they were bred to so that when the calf is born, it gets put next to the cow# , each on one line, and if the calf gets tagged then the calf sex/color and number, and sire is right there for when they get run through and banded and blacklegged before they go to pasture.
 
We keep pretty detailed records of a lot of things within our cattle operations. We track treatments etc. on individual animals in the cow/calf, stocker and feedyard segments.
We track pasture movements, head counts and indates. Also, the year over year conception rates, weaning weights, hay fed and lots of other measurables are tracked on individual ranches. We do or best to track most everything we think might be of value from fertility stuff to performance to health to individual ranch P&L's, we like to compare efficiencies and performance of various things between the different managers that work for us as well as performance and health of the cattle placed on grass and feed by the various buyers that work for us. As the old saying goes, "you can't manage what you don't measure".
If there are any specific things you're looking into tracking, I'd be happy to share how we do it, if we happen to be tracking it already.
Most of this stuff, once a plan is implemented, has been easier than expected to track. The guys normally take to it quite easily and the girls in the office always impress me with the reports they can generate.
 
js1234":2r8f6h2w said:
We keep pretty detailed records of a lot of things within our cattle operations. We track treatments etc. on individual animals in the cow/calf, stocker and feedyard segments.
We track pasture movements, head counts and indates. Also, the year over year conception rates, weaning weights, hay fed and lots of other measurables are tracked on individual ranches. We do or best to track most everything we think might be of value from fertility stuff to performance to health to individual ranch P&L's, we like to compare efficiencies and performance of various things between the different managers that work for us as well as performance and health of the cattle placed on grass and feed by the various buyers that work for us. As the old saying goes, "you can't manage what you don't measure".
If there are any specific things you're looking into tracking, I'd be happy to share how we do it, if we happen to be tracking it already.
Most of this stuff, once a plan is implemented, has been easier than expected to track. The guys normally take to it quite easily and the girls in the office always impress me with the reports they can generate.

Are you using a cattle software program or spreadsheets?
 
I built most of what I needed in excel spreadsheets....
herd health records
breeding records
calving records
semen inventory
bull selection indexes
synchrony scheduling for several protocols
when we had the registered herd I also submitted everything to the angus association
 
Excel. One book for each pasture, and one sheet for each cow, bull, or weaned heifer. Along with one sheet for each pasture that has a row for each cow where I enter the calving info (date, color, sire, and ear tag) and then later the date, weight, and price at weaning. This sheet makes it easy to see everything at once, and I copy and paste info from it to the individual cow's sheets.
 
I use the BQA Individual Animal Record for vaccinations and treatment such as pinkeye, pelvic score, etc.

For breeding and calving records, I keep notes in a spiral binder.

19bjar.jpg
 
Margonme":2wm1y97d said:
I use the BQA Individual Animal Record for vaccinations and treatment such as pinkeye, pelvic score, etc.

For breeding and calving records, I keep notes in a spiral binder.

19bjar.jpg
I started out with those. Ended up writing a program to keep the records in the same basic form. After about a year I went to cattlemax, that way someone else has to keep up with the changes of requirements. I still keep a lot of records in Excel for making my cow working lists, etc.
 
We are in the process of switching to the Finpak software used in this area. It is a set of linked spreadsheets for Farm Business Management. You end up with a net worth statement, cash flow projections, and an analysis of each enterprise. It allows you to benchmark against top/average/bottom producers. A recent observation is that investing in technology is not profitable at current price levels.
Crop and pasture enterprises are done by acre by product. Allocating OH and fertility will be interesting. I am sure that we will show too much of both. We bought in hay for $64/ton delivered, and I really don't want to know what our internal production cost will total up to.
Cattle enterprises are done by head. I don't agree with only per cow records and will do some per acre efforts on my own. Cow/calf will not be pretty. Back grounding should be profitable. Freezer beef will be profitable. We have our most of our spring calves, have culled cows hard, and will continue to work stocker/yearling projections for next year.
I think we tend to do a lot of individual cow record detail and not so much business detail. I think we will end up with projections that say we need to plant more fence posts. I think a per acre scenario with reduced stocking rate and reduced hay production may be more optimal at current commodity price levels.
Conventional theory is that it is slow to improve a herd by culling cows because you need so many heifers for replacements. I think it is (past) time to look at running fewer but better cows rather than continuing to expand the herd to produce $1 fats.
 
tom4018":34h4kevs said:
js1234":34h4kevs said:
We keep pretty detailed records of a lot of things within our cattle operations. We track treatments etc. on individual animals in the cow/calf, stocker and feedyard segments.
We track pasture movements, head counts and indates. Also, the year over year conception rates, weaning weights, hay fed and lots of other measurables are tracked on individual ranches. We do or best to track most everything we think might be of value from fertility stuff to performance to health to individual ranch P&L's, we like to compare efficiencies and performance of various things between the different managers that work for us as well as performance and health of the cattle placed on grass and feed by the various buyers that work for us. As the old saying goes, "you can't manage what you don't measure".
If there are any specific things you're looking into tracking, I'd be happy to share how we do it, if we happen to be tracking it already.
Most of this stuff, once a plan is implemented, has been easier than expected to track. The guys normally take to it quite easily and the girls in the office always impress me with the reports they can generate.

Are you using a cattle software program or spreadsheets?
We use spreadsheets for most of it. We have a program we bought for the health stuf that's retrieved from the EID tags.
 

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