Keeping a Small Herd Goat Records
Before I dive into my system for keeping goat records, I want to introduce you to our herd.
The herd sire was a Red African Boer named CT or Chocolate Thunder…You can thank my husband for that creativity. We also had four Nubian does, and one Boer doe. Freda, our prized Nubian, gave us a set of precious triplets and plenty of fresh, sweet, nutritious goat milk before she made her way to a new farm.
Meet the Herd:
- CT (Chocolate Thunder)-the herd sire who is a stout Red African Boer
- FeeBee– a beautiful registered Nubian
- Jewel– a feisty spotted Nubian who is about 2x times the size of FeeBee (and 3x Greta)… You can see her scratching her back on the hut in the photo above.
- Belle– a little bitty Boer doe
- Greta– a super sweet grey & tan Nubian doe
- Freda- a well-built, black, registered Nubian who gave us a set of sweet triplets
Now that we have the introductions out of the way I have a few questions about your small goat herd…
- When was the last time you dewormed your goats?
- Did you vaccinate the new goat in your herd?
- How much medication did you give as treatment for that abscess last month?
- How many kids did your girls have in 2016?
- Did they have more or less than previous years?
- What ratio of bucks to does have you gotten from your herd sire?
- Are you safe to start milking your doe or is she still in the withdrawal period from a medication that she was given recently?
- Do you have a goat record keeping system in place?
If you are like me, then you have trouble remembering all of these details correctly. You are also like me if you are serious about taking great care of your goats and making a profitable small business out of your herd.
Raising livestock isn’t meant to be a guessing game so why keep guessing and losing money (and possibly losing goats) when you can get your stuff together with a couple of simple spreadsheets? I created this Goat Record Book so that I could be as effective as possible with my herd and I want you to have them as well!
How to Use this Small Herd Goat Record Book
Goat Identification Record
The Goat Identification Record is where you can keep basic information like your goat’s name or ID, breed, registration information, pedigree, and a photo. Add who you bought the goat from or if the goat was born on your farm here as well. This is a good idea for traceability if a buyer wants to know bloodlines or if a goat gets sick and you need to check for genetic dispositions to certain illnesses. I like to use this sheet even if I have an official pedigree. I keep the pedigree in a lock box for safekeeping while this sheet stays in my livestock binder.
Medical Treatment Record
Use the Medical Treatment Record to keep track of all of the medications and treatments that you use on each animal, the illnesses that were treated, and any visits to the vet. This sheet holds information that is vital if you plan to sell any of your goats, process them for meat, or milk any of your females.
Breeding Record
Your buck has made his rounds… now what? Now you write down his shenanigans on the Buck Progeny sheet! Enter the breeding date, which doe was bred, the expected kidding date, and any notes relevant to the breeding. After kidding (if a pregnancy occurs from the listed breeding), you can enter the actual kidding date and the number of kids born out of that breeding.
Goat Kidding Record
The kidding record sheet is similar to the breeding record, but it focuses more on the progeny than the parents. Here, you can enter the dam & sire IDs, kidding date, kids’ names or IDs, the number of kids born, number of bucks and does, the birthweight of the kids, and any relevant notes.
Milk Production Record
If you are milking your females, it is a good idea to keep track of their production from day to day. This allows you to identify any potential issues (like a clogged duct or mastitis) quickly and it helps you to determine which females are the most productive. Simply enter the goat’s name at the top of the sheet and list the amount of milk produced in the morning and in the evening.
Follow this link to use my Goat Record Book on your homestead as well!
Looking for a more detailed farm record-keeping resource?
Take a look at the Livestock Management Binder, the Homestead Management Binder, and the comprehensive Homestead Mama Planning Pack.
- The Livestock Management Binder houses the Goat Record Book + Record Books for 15 other species! It also includes a few additional livestock record-keeping sheets: Livestock Expenses, Livestock Addition and Losses, and a Livestock Feed Schedule.
- The Homestead Management Binder contains the entire Livestock Management Binder PLUS the Homestead Garden Planner, Homestead Goal & Project Planner, AND the Farm & Homestead Finance Tracker…everything you need to plan your homestead!
- The Homestead Mama Planning Pack includes the entire Homestead Management Binder as well as the Household Management Notebook AND the All-In-One Homeschool Planner.
Here are a few other goat-related posts that might interest you:
- 10+ Dairy Goat Essentials for Your Small Goat Herd
- Giving Copper Bolus to Your Herd
- Natural Solutions for Your Goat Herd
- How to Drain an Abscess on a Goat- With Video
- Homemade Bag Balm for Dairy Animals
Thanks! I this has a lot of great information for managing our small flock of St. Croix.
I can’t seem to find this download in your printables. It’s the only reason I signed up for your emails.
It is located in the Member Resource Library under the Prayer Journal Sheet & beside the Grocery List print. I have emailed you a screenshot to make it a little easier to find 🙂
Thank you for allowing me to join!! I am a 38yo woman who’s planning to take a leap of faith on my own beginning of 2021…maybe sooner if all goes well. I just need some guidance, love & prayers from other females who are out there already. I know that it is not going to be easy, but I do know that love and support from other woman & faith that God will provide will see us all through!!