Animal identity
Tag number, sex, breed, birth date, entry date, source, group and status.
Sheep record keeping guide
Turn sheep records into better flock decisions.
Good sheep records are not just paperwork. They help you compare animals, plan lambing, control feed costs, review treatments, prepare sales and understand whether the flock is improving.
Core records
The records every sheep farm should keep
Start with the records that support real decisions. Each record should answer a useful question later, not just fill a notebook.
Weights and growth
Weigh dates, live weight and average daily gain for sale and performance review.
Health and treatments
Symptoms, product, dose, reason, withdrawal period, follow-up and outcome.
Feed and stock
Feed purchases, stock movement, daily use, unit cost and remaining inventory.
Breeding and lambing
Breeding dates, expected lambing dates, lamb count, parentage and lambing notes.
Sales and exits
Sale, slaughter, death or transfer date, weight, price, buyer and exit reason.
Monthly review
A simple routine is better than perfect paperwork.
The best record system is the one you actually maintain. Review active animals, missing weights, treatment notes, feed stock and sale candidates on a regular rhythm.
Even a short weekly update and a monthly review can reveal problems before they become expensive.
- Update animal changesAdd new animals, exits, deaths, group changes and important notes.
- Review performanceCheck weights, average daily gain and animals that are falling behind.
- Check health historyLook for repeated treatments, missing follow-ups and withdrawal dates.
- Compare feed and resultsConnect feed cost with growth, sale timing and profit.
- Spreadsheets can work at the beginningThey are useful when the flock is small and one person manages the records.
- The problem starts with connectionsWeight, feed, treatment, breeding, exits and finance often need to explain the same animal.
- Reports need clean source dataA good report is only useful if the animal history behind it is complete and easy to trust.
Connected records
When records connect, the farm story becomes visible.
HerdDeck is built for the point where notebooks and spreadsheets start to slow the farm down. Animal cards, feed stock, treatments, weights, finance, HARSE ration planning, pedigree and reports stay in one workflow.
Next step
Start with templates, then move to connected records when the flock grows.
Use simple templates to build the habit. When you need animal history, feed, health, pedigree, costs and reports to work together, HerdDeck Shepherd gives the farm one connected record system.