Hair & Coat Shedding Score
Guide to hair and coat shedding scores. The ideal time to evaluate hair coat shedding is beginning and end of spring breeding season.
Hair & Coat Shedding Score TableAnimals & Forages
Beef Cattle Production Record Keeping
Production records are important to ranch management. Records help track inventory, project future calving dates, and monitor performance. Records also help monitor change over time and progress toward goals. Producers use records to track traits that are economically important. This site contains links to information on scoring cattle characteristics like feet and udders, guidelines and factsheets, and performance and health record forms. A list of recommended software providers to assist with cattle record keeping is also included.
Using Spreadsheets for Record Keeping
Cattle producers are often interested in using spreadsheets for basic record keeping.
We've created a course with videos that demonstrate tips and tricks to using a spreadsheet
for record keeping.
The course is available in the Animal Science catalog. You'll need to create a free
account to log into the course.
Teat and Udder Score
Guides to teat and udder scoring. The ideal time for udder and teat scores (taken on the weakest quarter) is within 24 hours of calving.
Foot Score
Guides for determining foot score, using cattle foot angle and claw set. Scores should be determined prior to hoof trimming.
Frame and Muscle Score
Official US standards for grades of thrifty feeder cattle for frame size and thickness.
Body Condition Score
Guide to body condition scores for cattle. Ideal times to BCS cattle are 90 days pre-calving, and at calving, breeding, and weaning.
BIF Guidelines
Guidelines is a publication of the Beef Improvement Federation that outlines
procedures for recording beef cattle performance data.
Year Letter Designation
A guide to using international year/letter designations for animal identification.
Pelvic Area
Guide to measuring pelvic area. The pelvic area is calculated by multiplying vertical and horizontal dimensions of the internal pelvic opening.
Aging Cattle
A guide for determing the age of cattle by teeth, courtesy of The Stockman's Handbook by Ensminger, 2nd edition.
Herd Reproductive Screening Sheet
This chute side worksheet is used for recording animal type, weight, body condition score, and reproduction tract score and pelvic measurements. There is also a comments column that can be used for additional scores, such as disposition, or health notes.
Extension Publications
- FSA3010 - Pelvic Area Measurements in the Management of Replacement Heifers
FSA3010 addresses the serious issue of dystocia (calving difficulty) and offers instructions for properly measuring pelvic area in heifers.
Extension Forms
- CES405 - Individual Cow Performance and Progeny Record
CES405 provides a detailed spreadsheet for recording and maintaining cattle breeding details, along with cow/calf management codes and scores.
- Beef Herd Health Record
The Beef Herd Health Record booklet contains information related to cattle vaccination and processing, and provides tables for maintaining treatment records.
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AG803 - Livestock and Forage Record Book
AG803 is a pocket book that can be ordered through your County Extension Agent. It contains management tips and record-keeping resources for cattle and forages. -
Record Keeping Software
| Company Name | Cloud Access | Website URL |
| Cattle Max | Yes | https://www.cattlemax.com/ |
| Herdone | Yes | https://herdone.com/ |
| Cow Sense | Limited | https://midwestmicro.us/products |
| Cattle Pro | No | http://www.cattlepro.com/ |
| BovIQ | Mobile Device | http://boviq.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ |