Animals Action#
Manage individual animal profiles within your dairy cattle livestock for detailed per-animal tracking.
Purpose#
Track detailed information about each dairy animal including breed, health, breeding cycle, lineage, and milk production. This enables per-animal yield recording and helps identify top performers.
Availability#
Important: This action is only available when ALL conditions are met:
- Module: Livestock
- Animal Type: Cattle
- Raised For: Dairy
- Track Individually: ON
If you don’t see the Animals action, verify these settings in your livestock entry.
Key Features#
- Individual profiles - Name/ID, breed, gender, birth date
- Growth tracking - Monitor life stages from calf to adult
- Breeding management - Track reproductive cycle status
- Milk production - Record yields per animal
- Lineage records - Sire and Dam parentage
- Lifecycle status - Active, Sold, or Deceased
Animal Profile Fields#
Basic Information#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name/ID | Unique identifier (e.g., “Lakshmi”, “Cow-001”) |
| Breed | Breed of the animal (e.g., HF, Jersey, Murrah) |
| Gender | Male or Female |
| Date of Birth | Birth date for age tracking |
| Growth Stage | Current life stage |
Breeding Cycle#
Track reproductive status of female animals:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Open | Not bred, ready for breeding/insemination |
| Bred | Mated or inseminated, not yet confirmed pregnant |
| Pregnant | Pregnancy confirmed, expecting calf |
Update breeding status as the animal progresses through the reproductive cycle.
Milking Status#
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Dry | Not producing milk (late pregnancy, rest period) |
| Milking | Actively producing milk |
Toggle between Dry and Milking as the animal’s production status changes.
Lactation Number#
Tracks how many lactation cycles (calving + milk production periods) the animal has completed.
| Lactation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | First-time mother, first lactation |
| 2 | Second calving, second lactation |
| 3+ | Experienced producer |
Lactation number helps evaluate an animal’s productivity over time.
Parentage#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Sire | Father of the animal |
| Dam | Mother of the animal |
Recording parentage helps:
- Track genetic lineage
- Make informed breeding decisions
- Avoid inbreeding
- Identify traits from parent lines
Animal Status#
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Active | Currently in the herd, part of daily operations |
| Sold | Animal has been sold, records preserved |
| Deceased | Animal has died, records preserved |
Changing status to Sold or Deceased preserves historical records while removing the animal from active counts.
Per-Animal Yield Tracking#
With individual tracking enabled, you can record milk yields for each animal:
- Go to the livestock entry
- Open Yields action
- Select the specific animal
- Record the yield amount (in Liters)
This allows you to:
- Identify high producers vs low producers
- Track production trends per animal
- Make informed culling decisions
- Calculate feed efficiency per animal
Tips#
- Give each animal a unique, memorable identifier
- Record parentage to track lineage and make breeding decisions
- Update breeding cycle status promptly after each event
- Record milk yields consistently (same time each day)
- Update growth stages as animals mature
- Use Notes to record health observations per animal
Best Practices#
- At birth/purchase - Create animal record immediately with all known details
- Daily - Record milk yields during milking sessions
- As events occur - Update breeding status, health notes
- Monthly - Review animal records for completeness
- At sale/death - Update status to preserve records
Frequently Asked Questions#
Why can't I see the Animals action?
Animals action requires: Cattle + Dairy + “Track Individually” ON. Check your livestock entry settings. This feature is specifically designed for dairy cattle where individual production tracking is valuable.
Can I track individual animals for poultry or goats?
Currently, individual tracking is only available for dairy cattle. For other livestock types, animals are managed as a group/flock.
How do I record milk yield per cow?
Go to Yields action within the livestock entry. When individual tracking is enabled, you can select the specific animal before recording the yield.
What happens when I mark an animal as Sold?
The animal is removed from active herd counts but all historical records (yields, health notes, etc.) are preserved for reference.
How do I track breeding events?
Update the Breeding Cycle field as events occur: Open → Bred (after insemination) → Pregnant (after confirmation). Use Notes to record specific dates and details.
What is lactation number used for?
Lactation number indicates how many times the animal has calved and completed a milk production cycle. Higher lactation numbers indicate experienced producers. Productivity often peaks around lactation 3-5.
How do I track health records per animal?
Use Notes action to record health observations. Use Documents to attach veterinary prescriptions and vaccination records. Link each to the specific animal for organized records.