Herd book
A herd register that tells you what is due
Most small herds are run from memory and a notebook. That works until the day nobody can remember when the brown cow was served, or whether the goats had their booster. This herd book keeps one record per animal and works the dates out for you: when she is due, when to dry her off, when the next vaccination falls, and how long milk has to be kept back after a treatment.
What you can record
- Each animal’s tag, name, breed, sex, date of birth, dam and sire.
- Heats, services, pregnancy checks and births. Young can be added to the book as they are born.
- Vaccinations and deworming with the next due date.
- Treatments, with the medicine and its withdrawal period.
- Daily milk for each animal, morning and evening.
- Weights, with the average daily gain worked out.
How due dates are worked out
The expected date is the service date plus the average length of pregnancy for the species. Individual animals vary by a week or more either way, and breed, the sex of the calf and twins all shift it, so treat the date as the middle of a window and start watching early.
| Animal | Average pregnancy | Usual range | Heat cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cow | 283 days | 279 to 287 | 21 days |
| Buffalo | 310 days | 300 to 320 | 21 days |
| Goat | 150 days | 145 to 155 | 21 days |
| Sheep | 147 days | 144 to 152 | 17 days |
| Pig | 114 days | 112 to 116 | 21 days |
| Horse | 340 days | 320 to 362 | 21 days |
| Donkey | 365 days | 360 to 375 | 23 days |
| Camel | 390 days | 375 to 400 | |
| Alpaca and llama | 345 days | 335 to 355 | |
| Rabbit | 31 days | 28 to 33 | |
| Dog | 63 days | 58 to 68 | |
| Cat | 65 days | 63 to 67 |
Common questions
Where are my records kept? In this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere, so it works without a connection. That also means you should use “Back up” regularly: the backup is one file you can keep safe or open on another device with “Restore”.
What is a withdrawal period? After many medicines, milk and meat must not be sold or eaten for a set number of days. The number is on the label or the vet’s prescription. Enter it with the treatment and the book shows the date on which the animal is clear.
When should a cow be dried off? The usual advice is about 60 days before she is due, so the udder can rest. The book lists the dry-off date for every cow or buffalo that is in milk and in calf.
Can I print it? Yes. The animal list prints as a register and each animal’s page prints as a record card, which is useful when a vet visits or an animal is sold.