Animal Activities Guide

1. Overview

FarmSentry's generic animal activities work across all species - cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry. Use these tools when you need to record activities that aren't covered by species-specific tracking forms.

When to Use Generic Activities

• Feeding: Record feed given to individual animals or herds
• Health Treatment: Document diagnosis, treatment, and withdrawal periods
• Vaccination: Track vaccinations and schedule next doses
• Breeding: Record heat, service, pregnancy checks, and parturition
• Production: Track milk, eggs, weight checks, and other production metrics
• Movement: Log animal movements between locations, herds, or farms

2. Feeding Activities

Track feed consumption for individual animals or entire herds. Monitor feed types, quantities, and costs to optimize feeding programs.

What You Can Track

• Feed types: Hay, grain, silage, concentrates, supplements
• Quantities: Amount fed per animal or herd (kg, lbs, bags)
• Feeding schedule: Date and time of feeding
• Cost tracking: Link to inventory for automatic cost calculation
• Special diets: Notes about creep feed, weaning diets, or medical diets

How to Record Feeding

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Feeding" tool button
5. Select feeding date and time
6. Choose target: Individual animal or entire herd
7. Select feed type from inventory or enter manually
8. Enter quantity fed (kg, lbs, bags, bales)
9. Add notes about feeding conditions or observations
10. Save the feeding record

3. Health Treatment & Medication

Document health issues, treatments, and medications for comprehensive animal health records. Track withdrawal periods to ensure food safety compliance.

What You Can Record

• Symptoms: Clinical signs observed (lameness, fever, coughing, etc.)
• Diagnosis: Confirmed or suspected condition
• Treatment: Medications, dosages, routes of administration
• Veterinarian: Attending vet and diagnosis notes
• Withdrawal periods: Meat and milk withdrawal times
• Follow-up: Schedule recheck dates

How to Record Health Treatment

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Health Treatment" tool button
5. Select the animal(s) being treated
6. Enter treatment date
7. Describe symptoms observed
8. Enter diagnosis (confirmed or suspected)
9. Record treatment details:
   • Medication name (select from inventory or enter manually)
   • Dosage and route (oral, injection, topical)
   • Frequency (once, twice daily, etc.)
   • Duration (number of days)
10. Enter withdrawal periods:
    • Meat withdrawal (days until safe for slaughter)
    • Milk withdrawal (days until safe for human consumption)
11. Add veterinarian name if applicable
12. Set recheck date if follow-up needed
13. Add treatment notes and observations
14. Save the health treatment record

4. Vaccination Records

Maintain complete vaccination records for disease prevention and regulatory compliance. Schedule booster shots and track vaccine inventory.

Common Vaccines by Species

• Cattle: Clostridial (7-way, 8-way), IBR, BVD, BRSV, PI3, Leptospirosis
• Sheep/Goats: CD&T (Clostridium perfringens types C & D, Tetanus), Soremouth, Rabies
• Pigs: Mycoplasma, Erysipelas, Parvovirus, PRRS, Circovirus
• Poultry: Newcastle, Marek's, Infectious Bronchitis, Fowl Pox

How to Record Vaccinations

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Vaccination" tool button
5. Select the animal(s) being vaccinated
6. Enter vaccination date
7. Select vaccine name from inventory or enter manually
8. Record vaccine details:
   • Manufacturer and lot number
   • Dosage and route (subcutaneous, intramuscular, oral)
   • Injection site (neck, hip, etc.)
   • Expiration date of vaccine
9. Set next dose date if booster required:
   • Most vaccines require booster 2-4 weeks after initial dose
   • Annual boosters typically needed for clostridial vaccines
10. Add notes about animal reactions or adverse events
11. Save the vaccination record

5. Breeding Activities

Track all breeding activities from heat detection through parturition. Monitor conception rates and predict due dates for better management.

What You Can Record

• Heat detection: Estrus signs and behavior
• Service: Natural mating or AI, sire information
• Pregnancy checks: Diagnosis method and results
• Expected due dates: Automatic calculation based on gestation length
• Parturition: Birth date, offspring count, ease of birth

Typical Gestation Periods

• Cattle: 283 days (9 months)
• Sheep: 147 days (5 months)
• Goats: 150 days (5 months)
• Pigs: 114 days (3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days)

How to Record Breeding

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Breeding" tool button
5. Select the female animal (dam)
6. Choose breeding type:
   • Natural service: Pasture breeding or hand breeding
   • Artificial insemination (AI): AI technician and semen info
7. Enter breeding date
8. Select male animal (sire) or enter AI sire ID
9. If AI, record semen details:
   • Bull/Ram/Buck/Boar name and registration number
   • AI technician name
   • Straw/unit number
10. System calculates expected due date based on species gestation length
11. Add notes about heat signs or breeding conditions
12. Save the breeding record

Recording Pregnancy Checks

1. Return to the same breeding record 30-60 days after service
2. Add pregnancy check date
3. Select diagnosis method:
   • Rectal palpation
   • Ultrasound
   • Blood test
   • Visual observation
4. Record result: Pregnant, Open, or Uncertain
5. If pregnant, update expected due date if different from calculated
6. If open, plan rebreeding

6. Production Tracking

Record general production metrics that aren't covered by species-specific forms. Track milk production, egg counts, weight gain, or any custom production metric.

What You Can Track

• Milk production: Daily milk yield (liters, gallons)
• Egg production: Daily egg count by flock
• Weight checks: Growth monitoring (kg, lbs)
• Wool/fiber: Shearing records and fleece weights
• Custom metrics: Any other production data you want to track

How to Record Production

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Production" tool button
5. Select production date
6. Choose production type (milk, eggs, weight, wool, custom)
7. Select target: Individual animal or herd/flock
8. Enter production quantity with appropriate units
9. Add quality notes if applicable:
   • Milk: Visual quality, temperature
   • Eggs: Grade breakdown (jumbo, large, medium, small)
   • Wool: Fleece condition, contamination
10. Record environmental conditions if relevant (temperature, humidity)
11. Add notes about production trends or concerns
12. Save the production record

7. Animal Movement

Track animal movements between locations, herds, pastures, or farms. Maintain accurate location records for inventory, biosecurity, and regulatory compliance.

Types of Movement

• Between herds: Move animal from one herd to another (weaning, breeding groups)
• Between pastures: Rotational grazing, paddock changes
• Between locations: Move to different barn, pen, or facility
• To/from market: Sales, purchases, exhibitions
• To/from other farms: Leasing, custom grazing, breeding

How to Record Movement

1. Navigate to the Activities page from your dashboard
2. Click the "Animal Activities" button
3. Select your species from the species selector
4. Click the "Movement" tool button
5. Select the animal(s) being moved
6. Enter movement date
7. Select movement type:
   • Herd transfer: Move between herds on same farm
   • Location change: Move between pens, barns, or pastures
   • Sale/Purchase: Animal leaving or entering farm permanently
   • Temporary move: Custom grazing, breeding lease, exhibition
8. Record origin location: Current herd, pen, or pasture
9. Record destination location: New herd, pen, or pasture
10. For sales/purchases, enter:
    • Buyer/Seller name and contact
    • Sale price or purchase cost
    • Movement permit or health certificate number
11. For temporary moves, set expected return date
12. Add reason for move: Weaning, breeding, health isolation, etc.
13. Document transport details if applicable (truck, trailer, distance)
14. Add notes about animal condition before/after transport
15. Save the movement record

8. Best Practices & Tips

Record-Keeping Best Practices

• Record immediately: Log activities as soon as possible while details are fresh
• Be consistent: Use the same units, terminology, and format across all records
• Include details: More information is always better than less
• Use inventory integration: Link to feed/medication inventory for automatic cost tracking
• Set reminders: Use task reminders for follow-ups and scheduled activities

Compliance & Regulations

• Withdrawal periods: Always verify and respect medication withdrawal times
• Movement permits: Obtain required health certificates before moving animals
• Vaccination records: Keep complete records for regulatory compliance and sales
• Traceability: Maintain accurate movement history for disease investigation
• Export capability: All records can be exported for regulatory reporting

Integration Tips

• Combine with species tools: Use generic activities alongside species-specific tracking
• Link to inventory: Connect feeding and medication records to inventory for cost tracking
• Create tasks: Set reminders for follow-up treatments, vaccinations, or movements
• Review analytics: Use production trends and health summaries to optimize management
• Export data: Generate reports for veterinarians, buyers, or regulatory agencies