How do you keep track of calving dates?

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red

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Jan 20, 2007
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LaRue, Ohio
Just wondered how everyone from small breeders like me to larger breeders keep track of their calving dates?
I do the following: Record dates on calendar & then highlight w/ marker so I can see right off when a cow is due
Keep a hard copy in a herd breeding book in case calendar gets lost or or the book does.

The farm calves about 50 cows. They keep a spread sheet & mark it off when a cow calves.

Any other methods or suggestions? Anyone use a PDA or something similar?

Red
 

P-F

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Jun 11, 2007
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Ohio
We have a large 2 month dry erase calender.  I keep track of everything there.  Use different color markers for different events.  Purple - cow due to calve, red cattle sales or other events, lime green Austins school activities.  Etc.  As a cow calves we just mark her off. 


We have used this for a couple years and I love it.
 

Jill

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Gardner, KS
We have an old 21st Century Genetics Heat Expectancy and Gestation chart that is poster size, we make copies of it every year and hang 1 in the barn and 1 in the house, it is set up on a 21 day calendar so you can follow a line across, really neat, haven't ever seen another one like it.  We write down heats, breeding and circle the breeding where the cow stuck.  At the end of the breeding season I bring it in and transfer it to an excel spread sheet, this year I bought CattleMaxCS, so we'll see how that works.
 

common sense

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Aug 1, 2007
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I have the Magnum Digital cow herd program.  I love it.  I can print out a sheet of which cows are due, the order they are due and hang it in the barn.  I put in the new calves and it updates the list automatically.  I can keep track of heats and it tells me when they are supposed to be in again.  I can also put all of my breeding records in it.  It is endless.  I really like it but is has a few little gliches that would make it more user friendly.
 

shortdawg

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Georgia
My little black book in my truck is a prized possesion. All calving records are kept in it.
 

doubled

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Iowa
We use a calendar book for each year, and at the back list semen and its numbers each year and mark it off each time we use some,
its handy to use it year by year as sometimes we look back over the years, it makes it really easy to track, we also note if the cow had trouble, and
which bull we used, if she had a good heat cycle when we bred her, all that good cow stuff, we tried on a computer but when you are in a pasture you need
that book, invaluable to us. We keep track of like 50 cows and 3 bulls.
 

DL

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Jan 29, 2007
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Jill said:
We have an old 21st Century Genetics Heat Expectancy and Gestation chart that is poster size, we make copies of it every year and hang 1 in the barn and 1 in the house, it is set up on a 21 day calendar so you can follow a line across, really neat, haven't ever seen another one like it.  We write down heats, breeding and circle the breeding where the cow stuck.  At the end of the breeding season I bring it in and transfer it to an excel spread sheet, this year I bought CattleMaxCS, so we'll see how that works.

Jill - NASCO has a dry erase chart like the 21st Century Genetics Heat Expectancy and Gestation chart - it is pretty good sized but works well

I'm with shortdawg - the NCBA Red Book and the Hubbard calving book ---
 

shorthorns r us

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Apr 9, 2007
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Jill said:
We have an old 21st Century Genetics Heat Expectancy and Gestation chart that is poster size, we make copies of it every year and hang 1 in the barn and 1 in the house, it is set up on a 21 day calendar so you can follow a line across, really neat, haven't ever seen another one like it.  We write down heats, breeding and circle the breeding where the cow stuck.  At the end of the breeding season I bring it in and transfer it to an excel spread sheet, this year I bought CattleMaxCS, so we'll see how that works.

I'd like to see a picture if possible.
 

fluffer

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Sep 6, 2007
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Springfield, Ohio
Along with this, how do you guys tattoo or tag calves.  I don't mean at calving, then we just put the cow# in the tag.  If you keep a heifer, lets say, what number do you give her?  Before I was married and I only had a handfull of cows I would just do their brithday and then the letter for that year.  But now we have 80 cows and we like to have the number coorilate with the replacements cow # and we usually start the number with the year (2008 the tag would start with 8)  But now that is getting hard.  We had a cow 154, we kept her first calf and her tag was 3154, then we kept her first calf her her tag is 5154, but if they both have heifers that we want to keep, then what?  You guys have probably got better methods, please share.  ???

Thanks
Fluffer
 

frostback

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Colorado
I use different colour tags that tells the breed of the cow. Example purebred shorthorns are purple and then percentage calves out of shorts are blue. Then the number to start is the year, this year all start with 8. Then I go up from there. I then put the sire on the top of the tag. One to three letters. Then I put the cows number or name under the calfs number. We have under 100 cows but if you have over 100 just use 1000s instead. Then at weaning and you are keeping a calf for a replacement no tag changing and all the info is there.
As far as keeping track of breeding I use two methods. I make index cards for all semen with squares for the number of straws and when we AI a cow I write down the date and what cow. It is great at keeping track of semen too. That I keep in the barn during breeding close to the tank. I also make a list of every cow and write down AIing there too. Then what bull and when he was put in and taking out. I am list crazy but my vet says that I know my cows history better than any of his clients. When he comes to preg check I figure out how many days pregnant they should be.
 

shorthorns r us

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frostback said:
I use different colour tags that tells the breed of the cow. Example purebred shorthorns are purple and then percentage calves out of shorts are blue. Then the number to start is the year, this year all start with 8. Then I go up from there. I then put the sire on the top of the tag. One to three letters. Then I put the cows number or name under the calfs number. We have under 100 cows but if you have over 100 just use 1000s instead. Then at weaning and you are keeping a calf for a replacement no tag changing and all the info is there.
As far as keeping track of breeding I use two methods. I make index cards for all semen with squares for the number of straws and when we AI a cow I write down the date and what cow. It is great at keeping track of semen too. That I keep in the barn during breeding close to the tank. I also make a list of every cow and write down AIing there too. Then what bull and when he was put in and taking out. I am list crazy but my vet says that I know my cows history better than any of his clients. When he comes to preg check I figure out how many days pregnant they should be.

i'd like  to see a picture of your index card system if possible.
 

frostback

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Colorado
I cant do photos quickly like some so I will just describe it the best I can. I just use large index cards like for recipes and use the matching box. Then I write the bulls name on the left top corner and the cane code on the top right. Then I just use a ruler and make 10 or less boxes big enough to write a  cows name or number and the date. I number the boxes 10 down to 1 or less if less straws to a cane. Then I have made up dividers. One of our tanks is colour coded and one just has the numbers. I made colour dividers for the one so I know where the semen is quickly. The other I just write the number on the top too. I also have embryos on this too, with the mating on the top. Works well and I can access anytime how much semen we have on what bull and is a good cross reference to the AI list I keep in the house. Any questions just ask. Frostback
 
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