Goat Record Keeping: What to Record for Every Goat, With Examples

Goat record keeping means writing down, for every goat, the handful of things you will need to look up later: who the goat is (tattoo, tag and registration number), when she was bred and to which buck, when she kidded and how many kids she raised, every CD&T shot and deworming, her FAMACHA scores, hoof trims and weights, and, in a dairy herd, how much milk she gives. Keep each entry against one permanent ID and write it the day it happens, and you have records that settle breeding, culling and buying decisions instead of guesses.

This guide goes record by record, with a worked example for each, and shows how to keep the same records on Creatures. The free tools do the arithmetic without an account: the goat gestation calculator turns a breeding date into a kidding window, the goat weight calculator turns a tape measurement into an estimated weight, and the goat pedigree chart maker prints a three-generation pedigree. The records themselves live on each goat’s profile, on the animal records tab.

Identification: the record every other record hangs on

A treatment logged against “the brown doe” is worthless the day you own two brown does. Give every goat one permanent ID and use it on every record.

For registered dairy goats, that ID is the tattoo. The ADGA Guidebook requires every goat presented for registry to be tattooed, requires you to use your assigned herd letters on every goat born in your herd, and recommends a year letter plus birth order to identify each kid. By convention, the herd letters go in the right ear and the year letter and birth order in the left (LaManchas are tattooed in the tail web instead). The year letter for 2026 kids is V, 2025 was T, and G, I, O, Q and U are never used. So the third kid born in your herd in 2026 would carry V3 in the left ear, and twins always get different numbers. ADGA also says a goat must be tattooed, and the tattoo on file, for its production and show records to count as official.

Then there is the federal layer. Under the National Scrapie Eradication Program, goats generally need official identification before they leave your premises or change owners, and USDA APHIS says not to buy or sell any goat that may be used for breeding, or any goat over 18 months, unless it is officially identified (APHIS fact sheet). Official ID can be an approved scrapie ear tag, an approved electronic tag, or, under conditions, a registration tattoo traveling with the registration certificate; a tattoo alone does not count for goats going to slaughter or through a sale barn. Castrated goats under 18 months are among the exemptions, and some states are stricter than the federal rules, so check with your State Veterinarian. First-time participants can get up to 100 free plastic tags by calling 866-USDA-TAG (866-873-2824).

Example herd list entry. Willow, Nubian doe, born March 12, 2024. Tattoo: herd letters right ear, S4 left ear (the S year letter is 2024). Scrapie tag number as printed. Dam and sire by name and registration number. Born here. That one line is what every health, breeding and milk record below points back to.

On Creatures. Add each goat as an animal with its breed, sex and birth date, and link the dam and sire so the family tree builds itself. Choose Identification from Add Record to store the tattoo, ear tag, microchip or EID, and use a Registration record for the registry, the exact registered name, the registration number and a copy of the certificate. The fields are described in care, growth and identity records.

Breeding and kidding records

Breeding records are how you plan a kidding season instead of being surprised by one. For each doe, record her heats, which buck bred her, how (hand bred, or pen bred over several days), the breeding date or the dates the buck was in with her, any pregnancy check, and the due window. When she kids, close the loop: kidding date, number born alive and stillborn, each kid’s sex and ID, whether you had to help, and how the kids did in their first days.

Two numbers make these records useful. A doe’s heat cycle averages 21 days and standing heat usually lasts 24 to 48 hours, per the Merck Veterinary Manual, so a logged heat tells you when to watch for the next one, and a doe who does not come back into heat about three weeks after breeding may have settled. Gestation runs 145 to 155 days, averaging about 150, according to Merck, and it varies with breed, litter size and whether it is her first pregnancy.

Example. Willow is bred to your buck on October 3, 2026. At 150 days she is due about March 2, 2027, with a normal window of February 25 to March 7. Enter the breeding date in the goat gestation calculator to get the same answer, with breed presets and an exposure window mode for pen breeding. Over a few seasons, these records show which does kid easily with twins and which need help every year, and that is the history you breed and cull on. The goat breeding and heat cycle guide, the goat gestation guide and the goat kidding guide cover the husbandry behind each date.

On Creatures. Choose Add Record, Breeding & Reproduction, and Natural Mating / Pen Breeding. Turn on Track as breeding cycle and choose Pen breeding as the Service method. The date range appears automatically: use Breeding Date for the day the buck went in and Breeding exposure window for the day he came out. Under Sire, pick the known sire or leave an uncertain sire unresolved. If your veterinarian gives you a due date from an ultrasound, use Projected date override. The doe’s Breeding tab then shows her likely window and milestones, and the Breeding dashboard lists every bred doe in the herd as Expecting, Due soon or Overdue. When she kids, record it on the active cycle with the counts born alive and stillborn; Creatures creates a private group for the kids and lets you create a profile for each one, already linked to the dam. See recording a breeding, the breeding dashboard and recording births and creating a litter.

Once kids are linked to their dam and sire, their pedigree is on their profiles. For a printable copy to hand a buyer, the free goat pedigree chart maker makes a three-generation chart with registration numbers and colors, no account needed (it is your own record, not a registry certificate). Our guide to reading a goat pedigree explains what is on ADGA papers. Complete dam and sire records also let you check how closely a planned pair is related; the coefficient of inbreeding guide explains what that percentage means.

If more than one buck could have bred the doe, the goat breeding exposure records guide shows how to keep the sire unresolved until evidence settles it instead of linking a guessed sire into the kids’ pedigree.

Vaccination records: CD&T and anything else your veterinarian adds

CD&T protects against Clostridium perfringens types C and D (enterotoxemia, or overeating disease) and tetanus, and it is the core vaccine in most goat herds. The usual goat pattern is a two-shot starting series for kids, three to four weeks apart, then boosters for every adult at least once a year, with one booster timed a few weeks before kidding so the doe’s colostrum protects her kids. Goats hold clostridial immunity for less time than sheep: the Merck Veterinary Manual gives boosters every 3 to 4 months for goats and puts one 2 to 4 weeks before kidding, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension goat vaccination guide says to vaccinate at least annually and ideally every 6 months. Your veterinarian decides the interval and any other vaccines your area needs; the record’s job is to prove it happened.

For each vaccination, record the vaccine name, the date, the lot number and expiration from the bottle, which goats got it, who gave it, and the next due date. “Annual” only works if you know when last year’s shot actually went in, and the pre-kidding booster only works if it is timed from the due date in your breeding record.

Example. February 1, 2027: CD&T booster, all 14 does due to kid in March, lot number from the bottle, next booster due per your veterinarian. The goat CD&T vaccine guide explains the schedule in detail.

On Creatures. A Vaccination record takes the Vaccine Name and Date Administered, and filling in a Follow-up Date creates a linked reminder for the booster. For a herd-wide round, open a group and use Add a record, choose Vaccination with Same details for included animals, preview it, and Apply to every goat at once; each goat gets its own record. See health and medical records and apply records and track activity for a group.

Parasite records: FAMACHA scores, fecal counts and dewormings

Barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) kills goats through anemia, and FAMACHA is the tool for spotting that anemia early. A trained person compares the color of the lower eyelid with a card and scores it from 1 (red, healthy) to 5 (very pale). The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s FAMACHA fact sheet sets out the ground rules: proper training is required and the system is available through veterinarians; it only addresses barber pole worm and must be part of a wider worm control program; other things cause anemia too; and every goat should be checked every two to three weeks during the season, more often for kids, pregnant does and older goats. You can find training through wormx.info.

Record the score, the date and who scored it for every goat at every check, plus body condition and any scours. Record fecal egg count results with the date, the lab and the goats sampled. The most useful pair is a count taken just before a deworming and another about one to two weeks after, on the same identified goats: South Dakota State University Extension explains that comparing those counts shows whether a dewormer still works on your farm, and your veterinarian can interpret the result. For a deworming or any other treatment, record the product, the date, the reason and the veterinarian who advised it, and leave the dosing to them. Many goat drugs are used extra-label under a veterinarian’s direction, as the FDA’s AMDUCA rules allow, and your veterinarian sets the meat and milk withdrawal time. Withdrawal is counted from the last dose, so write down the date of the final treatment and the date the goat and her milk are clear.

Example. July 14: Willow FAMACHA 2, body condition 3. August 4: FAMACHA 4, sent for a fecal count after a call with the vet. The value is the pattern: a doe who keeps scoring 4s and 5s while her herdmates stay at 1 and 2 is the conversation to have with your veterinarian about culling or breeding decisions. The goat deworming guide covers the wider program.

On Creatures. Log fecal egg counts as a Test Result (the Parasitology category includes Fecal Egg Count) and attach the lab report. Log FAMACHA checks as a Routine Care record (Parasite / Mite Check) with the score noted on the record. A Medication record has Withdrawal Period (days) and Withdrawal Applies To fields, and Creatures adds the period to the record’s date to show the withdrawal clear date, so date the record on the last treatment day (or log each day’s treatment) and the clear date counts from the last dose.

Hoof trims and body condition

Hoof trimming intervals are individual: they depend on the goat, the season and the ground she lives on. Record the date, which feet you trimmed, what they looked like, and any lameness or nicks, and within a season or two you will know each goat’s real interval instead of guessing. The goat hoof trimming guide covers tools and technique.

Body condition is scored by hand over the loin, ribs and breastbone on a 1 to 5 scale in half points, and according to Langston University’s body condition guide most healthy goats should score 2.5 to 4.0; scores of 2.0 or below point to a management or health problem. Score does before breeding, in late pregnancy and through lactation, and write it down with the date, because a doe sliding down the scale is telling you something weeks before she looks thin across the pen.

On Creatures. Log trims as a Routine Care record (Hoof / Nail Trimming). Add a Follow-up Date for the next trim, or create a reminder with Repeat every set to that goat’s interval; reminders show on the goat’s Care schedule and on Today’s care. Record body condition as a Physical Measurement so it charts over time. See reminders and upcoming care.

Turn repeated observations into a dated farm care plan with an owner, next action and follow-up date.

Weights: using a scale or the tape method

A livestock scale is best. Without one, a tape measure gets you close. Oregon State University Extension’s weight calculator sheet gives the formula for sheep and goats: measure heart girth (around the body just behind the front legs) and body length (point of the shoulder to the pin bone), then heart girth x heart girth x body length / 300 = weight in pounds.

Example. A doe with a 32 inch heart girth and a 28 inch body length: 32 x 32 x 28 / 300 = about 96 pounds. Measure with the goat standing square on level ground, and have the same person measure the same way each time, because a consistent estimate tracks growth better than a sloppy exact one. The goat weight calculator does the math in inches or centimeters and notes that estimates can be off by 5 to 10 percent. Weigh kids at birth, at weaning and monthly while they grow, and weigh adults before breeding and whenever something seems off. The goat weight guide has typical weights by breed.

On Creatures. Add a Physical Measurement for weight with the value, the unit and the date, and set How was it captured? to Estimated for a tape weight or Measured directly for a scale weight, so you always know which is which. The goat’s Measurements tab charts every reading over time with an exact readings table, and switches between Imperial and Metric without changing what you saved. For the calculator itself, see estimating animal weight with the weight calculator.

Dairy goat record keeping: milk records

Dairy goat record keeping adds the lactation to everything above. At home, the core record is simple: weigh each doe’s milk (pounds per milking, or per day), write it against her ID with the date and whether it was the morning or evening milking, and note her freshening date and dry off date. From those you can see days in milk, how fast she peaks, how well she holds, and which does are carrying the string. Also record mastitis, udder problems and any treatment with its milk withdrawal clear date, so treated milk never goes in the bucket.

Official testing goes further. According to the ADGA Guidebook, ADGA’s Dairy Herd Improvement Registry (DHIR) program runs through an approved DHI association and lab, uses a monthly test, and reports milk, butterfat and protein for lactations of up to 305 days, which are the records behind ADGA’s Advanced Registry. One-day tests and the Owner Sampler plan are ways to earn milk stars. Whichever route you take, the tattoo on each doe has to be on file with ADGA for the records to be official, which is one more reason to get identification right first.

Example. Willow freshened March 2, 2027. March 20: 4.1 lb AM, 3.8 lb PM. April 18 test day: lab report attached. If you are choosing equipment for a growing string, the goat milking machine guide compares options by herd size.

On Creatures. Log milk weights as a Physical Measurement for milk yield, in pounds, kilograms, gallons or liters, and the Measurements tab charts her lactation over time. Log a DHI or lab test day as a Test Result (Milk Test) and attach the report. Milk records sit on the same profile as her kidding and health history, which is where you want them when you decide whom to keep kids from.

Sales, purchases and movement records

The federal scrapie rule on transaction records (9 CFR 79.2) covers anyone who engages in the interstate commerce of sheep or goats. That is wider than a single trip across a state line: it includes people who own or handle goats that have been in interstate commerce, and people who buy goats from, or sell them to, someone who trades across state lines. Those buyers and sellers must record the number of animals, the date, the other party’s name and address, each animal’s breed and class (or goat type, milk, meat or fiber, if the breed is unknown), and a copy of any certificate or owner/hauler statement required for the move, and keep those records for 5 years after the goat leaves the herd (APHIS). A sale between two in-state herds that never deal across state lines may fall outside that federal rule, though your state can set its own record and ID requirements, and keeping the same fields for every sale and purchase is good practice either way. Anyone who applies official ID also records the date, the ID numbers and the flock of origin, and keeps that for 5 years. Keep the same detail on goats coming in, plus their health papers; goats crossing state lines usually travel with a certificate of veterinary inspection, and your State Veterinarian’s office can tell you what your state requires. If you are buying, the guide to where to buy a goat covers the records and tests to ask a seller for.

A clean record also sells a goat. Buyers of breeding and show stock want to see the kidding history, the CD&T dates, the parasite checks and the milk records, and showing goats runs on accurate tattoos and registration papers. On Creatures, you can transfer a goat to its new owner with its full record history, so the buyer receives every record instead of a stack of photocopies.

A mixed-species farm can carry selected animal histories onto a farm website while keeping working health and management notes in the underlying records.

A routine that keeps goat records honest

Records fail when they depend on a big catch-up at the end of the month. Tie each one to a rhythm instead:

• At the event: every breeding, kidding, vaccination, treatment, trim, sale or purchase gets written down before you leave the pen.
• Every two to three weeks in the grazing season: FAMACHA and body condition on every goat, logged goat by goat.
• Monthly: weigh growing kids, and on dairy does, check the milk trend against last month.
• Before breeding season: reconcile the herd list, check every tattoo and tag is readable, score condition, and plan pairings from last year’s kidding records.
• Once a year: review each goat’s whole record before deciding who stays, who is bred, and who is sold.

Keeping several species, or the farm’s books as well? The broader livestock record keeping guide covers records across the whole operation, and the 4-H livestock record book guide is built for youth project goats. Browse the Creatures goat hub for breed profiles such as the Nigerian Dwarf and Boer.

Frequently asked questions

What records should I keep for my goats?

At minimum: identification (tattoo, tag, birth date, parents), breeding and kidding dates, every vaccination and treatment with dates, parasite checks, hoof trims and weights. Dairy herds add milk weights and test results, and anyone who buys or sells adds a transaction record for each sale or purchase: federal rules require one from buyers and sellers in interstate goat commerce, your state may require one too, and it is good practice for every sale.

What goat records does the law require in the US?

Under the National Scrapie Eradication Program, most goats need official ID before they leave your premises or change owners. The federal transaction-record rule (9 CFR 79.2) applies to people who engage in interstate goat commerce, including those who own or handle goats that have been in interstate commerce and those who buy from or sell to such traders: they keep transaction records (animal count, date, the other party’s name and address, breed and class, any movement papers) for 5 years. Anyone who applies official ID keeps a record of it for 5 years too. Where none of that applies, your state’s rules decide what is required, and keeping the same record anyway is good practice. There are ID exemptions, such as castrated goats under 18 months, and some states are stricter, so confirm with your State Veterinarian. The rest of this guide is good management rather than law.

How do I keep dairy goat milk records without joining official test?

Weigh each doe’s milk on a hanging or kitchen scale at each milking, and write it against her ID with the date. That home log shows who is producing and how long they hold. Official DHIR testing through ADGA adds lab-tested butterfat and protein and makes the records eligible for ADGA recognition.

What is the ADGA tattoo letter for 2026?

V. ADGA recommends the year letter plus birth order in the left ear (V1, V2, V3 for the first three kids born in 2026), with your assigned herd letters in the right ear. The letters G, I, O, Q and U are not used.

Can I estimate a goat’s weight without a scale?

Yes. Measure heart girth and body length in inches and use heart girth x heart girth x body length / 300 for the weight in pounds, or let the goat weight calculator do it. Expect the estimate to be off by 5 to 10 percent, and record it as an estimate.

How long should I keep goat records?

Keep scrapie buy and sell records at least 5 years after the goat leaves. Keep health, breeding and milk history for the goat’s whole life and after, because it shapes decisions about her kids and grandkids.

Do this next on Creatures

Whether you are starting a herd list for three backyard does or tidying the records on a registered dairy string, these are the useful next steps.