# How do you keep your records?



## Dreamchaser (Oct 30, 2008)

Not sure if I posted this in the right spot...

How do you keep your records. Do you buy a book, notebook, do you simply marks stuff on a calendar for goat-keeping? What do you do? 

Thanks!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

on the computer in a spreadsheet -- hard copies printed off of that and I write stuff down in a goat journal


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

In my "herd book"" 

Has a doe section

The Registration paper is first, then a sheet with a table on hoof trimming records, and vaccinations
then the next sheet has a table with worming records and then a table with "illness" 

The illness has columns for symptoms, treatment, if it worked and how long it took, and date resolved

This Is my first year keeping this kind of record, works good so far, but I may invest in a white board or a chalk board in the hay shed to record hoof trimming so I dont have to write in the book each time, and just write it down every month or so.


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## farmergal (Jun 19, 2009)

I am not very good at keeping detailed records, most things I (heats, breed dates, vaccinations, etc.) just go in our calendar on the wall.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I write most stuff on the calender. The later on I transfer it all over to each goats individual sheet I keep with their registration papers.


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## elchivito (Apr 18, 2010)

I keep all my records in my head.........

what was the question??


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I write it on the calender and transer info to "Barn Records" which is a regular notebook.
EVERYTHING is in there. Its really helpful if I forget how I treated a certain problem & how it worked.
Teat structure is in there too. Often I have ones born with 4 (common in Boers) and write down if I think they will be working or not come kidding time.
I keep reg papers seperate.


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## nutmegfarm (Dec 23, 2009)

For my herd, I keep a herdbook (large zipper binder). It consists of their registration papers in a plastic sleeve, the papers themselves are on top and on the bottom is a health record sheet, so all you do is flip the page of the goat you're on and you see what it was given, date, how much etc. I have the breeds seperated and then after the goats there is another divider that is purely for health, when my vet comes to fill out health papers for out-of-state shows, things from the gov't for the scrapie program, and my ADGA tattoo certificate, all of those documents are also in their own plastic sleeves. All are labeled on the side of the sleeves, so its convienent and easy to use


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## Realfoodmama (Apr 13, 2010)

I don't have a whole lot of records since I only have the two goats, but I like to keep things on a spreadsheet in Excel - I used to work with it a lot in a previous job and I like making it pretty etc so its easy for me to work with.

I record milk production, feed/vet/construction costs, kidding, breeding, heat etc.

I tend to do this inconsistently, especially when neither girl is in milk. 

Also, anything that I write down on paper inevitably gets colored on by my two year old :roll:


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## maple hill farm tina (Mar 14, 2010)

I keep a large, three-ring binder. I load all of the information I think I need into plastic sleeves and separate everything with dividers by category. I don't keep originals of registration papers in there, only copies (the originals are on file in my office/sewing room/computer room upstairs). In the three-ring binder, I have records on each goat including a photo for each, maintenance records (shots, wormings, hoof trimmings, illnesses, etc), production records (both for kidding and for milk production), pedigrees, and A LOT of reference material from lots of different places - "normal" goat health info, breed standards, weight charts, gestation chart, kidding information, recipes for teat dip and udder wash, etc. The three-ring binder stays up in the cabinet in the barn. I keep a pencil and a pen in the front pocket so I can record stuff when it happens. Every month or so, I carry the binder down to the house and transfer all of my chicken scratch into readable information with the computer. I print out new copies and replace the old ones. So far, this system has worked really well.
-Tina


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## farmgirl42 (Jan 3, 2010)

I keep everything on my computer. Excel spreadsheet for "barn records" - this includes one column for each doe to record daily milk production and a much wider column for narrative about weather, purchases, health problems, treatments, and general goings-on. I also have an individual spreadsheet for each animal to record vaccines, treatments, health problems, vet visits, breeding, kiddings, etc. I keep all of my registrations in individual sleeves in a 3-ring binder.

So far, it works for me...


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## MiGoat (Apr 21, 2010)

elchivito said:


> I keep all my records in my head.........
> 
> what was the question??


BWHAHAHAAA!!


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## Idahodreamer (Sep 19, 2009)

I write it on the calender.  and then I transfer that to my Barn document on my computer ....


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