Recordkeeping on the Homestead: Goat Records (including free printables!)

Recordkeeping on the Homestead: Goats

Life seems to move faster during the spring, summer and fall than it does in the winter. From homesteading tasks (gardening, fencing, refencing, breeding, kidding, worming, searching for missing horses), the things I love to do whenever I can fit them in, and my part-time work-mostly-at-home job, my days are very full.

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In spite of not having enough hours in my day, keeping records on my livestock is important to me. But record-keeping depends on, you know, keeping records. If I don't write something down, I will probably forget. I tried carrying a small spiral notebook in my pocket, but it didn't work well for me - I kept losing my pen, and I hated that the papers got worn and bent up and dirty; I'm obsessive that way. I tried, really I did, but it just wasn't working.

So my current method is this: when noteworthy things happen outside, I write quick notes on my phone, such as "Phoenix bred," "goats wormed," "gave CDT shots." The speech-to-text app is wonderful when it's too sunny to see the phone screen, and sometimes taking a photo with my phone is a good-enough reminder. When I get back indoors, I write these notes in my weekly planner. I also write down farrier and vet appointments, trips to the feed store and when we buy hay.

I could color-code those entries by using another color of pen, but I just highlight the livestock entries in yellow.

Then in the winter, when life slows down a bit and I spend more time indoors than out, I sit down and transfer all of these notes to their appropriate places in my livestock notebooks. Since they are highlighted, they are easy to spot in my planner.

I have a notebook for the goats which holds registration papers and several forms for each goat.

You can download these forms for free further down in this post. These are pdf forms that can be printed out or saved to your computer. Feel free to print as many as you need for your own use. I'm not talented in the graphics department so they are not awesome-looking or cute, but they serve their purpose: keeping track of things that need to be kept track of.

(The forms are copyrighted; they are free for your personal use, but please do not sell them or include them in a body of work that you sell.)

First is the goat's ID form, with spaces for purchase information, color, pedigree, etc., and a place to add a photo. I have one of these forms for each of my goats.

The second page is the medical record form. Use this one to note the date kids were disbudded and by whom, when vaccines were given, when the goat was wormed, and any injuries or illnesses and how they were treated.

The form isn't goat-specific so you can use it for dogs, cats, horses or any other animal you might have.

I bought some stickers of various animals and put the appropriate sticker in the top right corner of the page. That's totally optional though.

I also have a kidding record for each of my does. This page keeps track of the date the doe was bred, when she kidded, how many kids she had and when, whether or not she had any problems with the delivery. This form helps me see that a doe might have a pattern of kidding a few days early or a few days late.

I also write down whether I needed to milk out her thick colostrum so her kids could nurse more easily, or that she's an outstanding mother (or not). I use one line for each kid, rather than one line per year.



I have a Record of Progeny form for each of my bucks. Use one sheet per buck to record which does he was bred to each year, how many buck and doe kids were born, and any other notes you might want to make.

It happens to nearly all of us who own goats: occasionally a buck gets in the doe pen when he isn't supposed to be there. If and when that happens, that date goes in my planner too. It might end up being an "oops" breeding and I want to know when any resulting kids might be due.

When breeding season arrived, I wrote down the dates when my does were bred and used this due date calculator to find out their due dates, which range from March 12 to March 19. In past years I've done it both ways: I've had them kid all at once, and I've had kidding season strung out over several weeks and even months. I much prefer to have them all due at once, even though it can get pretty crazy for a week or so. That's when I'm most thankful for my planner and my quick and easy method of record-keeping.

Sign up here to get your FREE goat record printables

Here are a few additional pages you might want to print out for your notebook. Please note that I did not create these, and that these items are copyrighted by their creators. Check their terms and conditions at their websites.

I print out a weight chart such as this one from Goat Connection for each goat. When I use my dressmaker's tape to measure the goat, I circle the corresponding weight on the chart and jot down the date next to it. It's important to know approximately how much your goat weighs so you can give the correct dose of medication or wormer when needed. It can be helpful to weight-tape even adult goats several times a year, as their weight will fluctuate with the seasons, kidding, and lactation.

I don't keep detailed records of how much milk my does produce. I milk once a day, in the morning, and the kids nurse all day long, so the amount of milk in the pail isn't always the same. Rather than weigh each doe's milk in pounds, I measure in quart jars, so I know that a doe is producing "about two quarts" or so. However, if you prefer to keep better track of things than I do, you'll probably love this Milk Production Record Sheet from MigMog Acres.

Here is an article describing how, and a diagram showing where to give injections to goats, from Raising Goats for Dummies (affiliate link).

Sign up here to get your free goat record printables.

Related Posts:
Part Two: Recordkeeping on the Homestead
10 Must-Have Items for Goatkeepers
How Changing My Milking Routine Changed My Life
What's in My Goat First-Aid Kit

You'll find Part Two of this Homestead Recordkeeping series here.

This post has been shared at some of my favorite blog hops.

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My hope is to inspire you, and to encourage your homesteading plans and your dreams of asimple, self-reliant, God-dependent life. You can follow me at:  Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram