Setting Up Simple Livestock Records for Small Farms

Good livestock records help small farms run smoothly, stay compliant, and make better day-to-day decisions. You do not need complex systems or detailed paperwork, but you do need to record the right information consistently. Breaking records down by animal type makes the process clearer and easier to manage.

Before looking at individual species, there are some core records that apply to all livestock on the farm. These form the backbone of any simple record-keeping system and should be kept up to date at all times:

• Numbers of animals on the holding

• Births, purchases, and sales

• Deaths and culls

• Movements on and off the holding

• Medicines and treatments given (including dates and withdrawal periods)

For cattle, records are mainly kept at an individual animal level. These records support legal requirements, breeding decisions, and winter feeding plans, and make it easier to track health and performance over time:

• Ear tag number

• Date of birth or purchase

• Breed and sex

• Movement records between holdings

• Vaccinations, worming, and other treatments

• Calving dates and calving outcomes

• Bull or AI details (if breeding)

• Notes on condition, lameness, or other health issues

Sheep records can be individual or group-based, depending on flock size and system. Good sheep records help identify productive ewes, manage health, and plan replacements:

• Ewe and lamb tag numbers

• Lambing dates and number of lambs born

• Losses at lambing or later

• Worming, fluke treatments, and foot care

• Weaning dates and lamb numbers

• Culling decisions and reasons

For pigs, records are often kept by group rather than by individual animal. These records help track growth, feed use, and breeding performance without creating unnecessary paperwork:

• Number of pigs and age or growth stage

• Breed or cross

• Dates of birth or purchase

• Feed type and approximate feed use

• Health treatments and parasite control

• Movements on and off the holding

• Farrowing dates and litter sizes for breeding pigs

Chickens and other poultry are best recorded at flock level. Simple, regular records make it easier to spot health or management problems early:

• Flock size and housing location

• Breed or type of bird

• Date of arrival or hatch

• Daily or weekly egg numbers

• Feed use

• Losses and suspected causes

• Dates birds are sold, culled, or replaced

Using short summaries alongside bullet-pointed lists keeps livestock record keeping clear and practical. Digital tools designed for small farms—such as those available at farm-manager.co.uk—can bring all these records together in one place, helping smallholders and farmers make confident, well-informed decisions throughout the year.