Breeding Records Every Dairy Farmer Should Keep

Breeding is where your farm's future production is decided. The genetics you choose, the timing of insemination, and the management of pregnancy determine what your herd will produce two, three, and five years from now.

Yet most Kenyan dairy farmers keep minimal breeding records — maybe a note in a notebook when AI was done, maybe nothing at all. The result is missed heats, unknown pregnancy statuses, surprise calvings, and calving intervals that stretch to 15 or 18 months instead of the target 12.

Here is every breeding record you should keep, why it matters, and what it enables.

Record 1: Heat observations

Every time you observe a cow showing signs of heat — standing, mounting, mucus, restlessness — record it.

What to log:

• Date and time
• Cow ID
• Signs observed (standing heat, mounting others, mucus discharge, secondary signs)
• Action taken (AI scheduled, natural service, no action)

Why it matters: Heat observation records build a cycle history for each cow. After three cycles, you know her individual pattern — some cows cycle at 19 days, others at 23. You can predict her next heat within a 2-day window.

Without these records, you are watching randomly instead of watching strategically.

Record 2: Insemination details

Every AI service should be documented with full details.

What to log:

• Date and time
• Cow ID
• Bull name and breed
• Straw batch number (if available)
• AI technician name
• Insemination method (standard AI, timed AI, natural service)
• Service number (first, second, third attempt this cycle)

Why it matters: If a cow does not conceive, you need to know whether the problem is the cow, the semen, or the timing. If multiple cows fail on the same batch of semen, you know it is the semen. If the same cow fails three times with different bulls, you know it is the cow.

Bull selection also matters for genetic improvement. Recording which bulls you used allows you to evaluate their daughters later. The straw batch number is your traceability link if there is ever a quality concern.

Record 3: Pregnancy check results

Every cow that has been inseminated should be pregnancy-checked.

What to log:

• Date of check
• Cow ID
• Days post-insemination
• Result (pregnant, open, inconclusive)
• Method (rectal palpation, ultrasound)
• Checked by (vet name)

Why it matters: A pregnancy check at 30-45 days post-AI confirms whether the insemination worked. If she is open, you know to watch for her next heat. If she is pregnant, you can calculate the expected calving date and plan accordingly.

Without confirmation, you might assume a cow is pregnant because she did not return to heat — but silent heats are common. A cow that is not actually pregnant but assumed to be will not be bred again for months, wasting an entire cycle.

Record 4: Expected and actual calving dates

Once pregnancy is confirmed, the expected calving date is calculated: insemination date + 283 days (approximately 9 months and 10 days).

What to log:

• Expected calving date
• Dry-off date (60 days before expected calving)
• Actual calving date
• Calving ease (normal, assisted, difficult, caesarean)
• Calf details (sex, weight if available, alive or stillborn)
• Post-calving complications (retained placenta, milk fever, metritis)

Why it matters: Expected calving dates drive your entire management calendar. You need to:

• Dry the cow off 60 days before calving
• Adjust her nutrition in the transition period (3 weeks before to 3 weeks after calving)
• Have supplies ready (iodine, colostrum management, calf pen)
• Schedule a vet check post-calving if needed

Surprise calvings — where you did not know the cow was due — lead to missed dry-off periods, inadequate transition nutrition, and unprepared calving environments. All of these reduce production in the next lactation.

Record 5: Calving interval

This is a calculated metric, not something you record directly. It is the number of days between one calving and the next.

Target: 365 days (one calf per year) Acceptable: 365-400 days Concerning: 400-450 days Problem: Over 450 days

Why it matters: Calving interval is the summary statistic of your breeding programme. If it is under 400 days, your heat detection, insemination timing, and conception rates are working. If it is over 450 days, something in the chain is broken — and the records help you find where.

Record 6: Conception rate

Another calculated metric: how many inseminations it takes to get a cow pregnant.

What to track:

• First-service conception rate (percentage of cows pregnant from the first AI)
• Overall conception rate (percentage of all AI services that result in pregnancy)
• Services per conception (average number of AI attempts per pregnancy)

Industry benchmarks for Kenya:

• First-service rate: 40-55% is good
• Services per conception: 1.5-2.0 is good, over 3.0 is a problem

Why it matters: If your first-service rate is below 30%, the problem could be semen quality, AI technician skill, timing of insemination, or cow health. If it is above 50%, your programme is performing well. You cannot calculate this without records of every service and every pregnancy check.

How these records connect

Each record feeds the next:

1. Heat observation → tells you when to inseminate
2. Insemination record → tells you when to check for return heat (day 21) and when to pregnancy-check (day 30-45)
3. Pregnancy check → tells you the expected calving date
4. Calving record → starts the clock for the next breeding cycle
5. Calving interval → tells you how well the whole system is working

Break one link and the chain falls apart. Miss the heat record and you cannot predict the next one. Miss the pregnancy check and you might not know she is open until months later. Miss the calving date and dry-off is late.

Starting today

If you have never kept breeding records, start with these three things:

1. Record today's date for every cow and her current status: milking, dry, or pregnant (even if estimated)
2. For pregnant cows, estimate the calving date as best you can
3. For milking cows, note the approximate date of last heat or AI

This gives you a starting point. From today forward, record every heat observation and every service. In 90 days, you will have a breeding calendar that works.

Build your breeding records at shira.farm.