How Shira Tracks Breeding Cycles Automatically — No More Guesswork

You have read the articles. You know heat detection matters, calving interval matters, and breeding records save money. But how does this actually work in practice? How do you go from "I should track breeding" to a system that tells you what to watch for and when?

Here is a walkthrough of how Shira manages breeding across all three modules — dairy, poultry, and swine.

Dairy: from heat to calving

Setting up

When you add a cow to Shira, you enter her basic information — name or tag number, breed, date of birth, and current status. If she is currently pregnant, you enter the last insemination date. If she is milking and open, you enter the last known heat date or calving date.

From this starting point, Shira calculates everything forward.

The heat prediction

Once you record a heat observation for any cow, Shira sets a 21-day countdown to the next expected heat. Three days before the expected date, you receive a notification: "Nyambura — watch for heat April 22-26."

This is not a guess. It is based on that specific cow's recorded cycle length. If she cycles at 19 days instead of 21, the app adjusts after two recorded cycles.

During the watch window, you check your cow more carefully. You add an extra observation session. When you see standing heat, you tap "Heat Detected" in the app, and the breeding workflow begins.

After insemination

You record the AI details — date, time, bull, technician. Shira immediately calculates:

Return-to-heat watch: Day 18-24 post-AI. If she shows heat, the AI failed. Tap "Return to Heat" and the cycle resets.
Pregnancy check due: Day 30-45. The app reminds you to schedule a vet visit.
If confirmed pregnant: Expected calving date (283 days from AI). Dry-off date (60 days before calving). Transition period start (21 days before calving).

Each of these dates appears on your calendar automatically. You do not calculate anything.

The calving countdown

In the final month of pregnancy, the cow's card shows a countdown: "Nyambura — calving expected in 18 days." As the date approaches:

Day 14: Reminder to prepare the calving area
Day 7: Alert to begin close observation
Day 0-3: Calving imminent — check frequently

When she calves, you record the event: date, calf details, any complications. The cycle resets — voluntary waiting period starts, and 50-60 days later, she is back on the active breeding list.

Poultry: batch-level tracking

Poultry breeding management in Shira works at the flock or batch level rather than the individual bird level.

Flock lifecycle tracking

When you add a layer flock, you enter:

Breed (ISA Brown, Lohmann, etc.)
Number of birds
Date of placement (or hatch date if raising from day-old)
Current age in weeks

Shira tracks the flock through its lifecycle stages:

Rearing (weeks 0-16): Vaccination schedule reminders based on breed-specific protocols. Feed phase transitions (chick mash → grower → pre-lay).

Production (weeks 17-72+): Daily HDP calculation from your egg collection records. FCR calculation from feed consumption. Mortality tracking and live-bird adjustments. Trend alerts when HDP drops below your set threshold.

Replacement planning: Based on your break-even HDP (which you set, or the app calculates from your feed cost and egg price), the app projects when the flock will cross below profitable production. It alerts you 16-20 weeks in advance — enough time to order replacement birds.

Broiler batch records

For broiler batches, the tracking is:

Placement date and bird count
Daily feed consumption and mortality
Weekly weight sampling (enter 10-20 bird weights, app calculates average)
ADG and FCR calculated automatically
Projected market-ready date based on growth rate

When the batch reaches target weight, you see it on the dashboard. No more guessing whether birds are ready.

Swine: sow cards and litter records

Sow breeding workflow

Each sow has a breeding card in Shira. When you record a heat observation (confirmed by back pressure test), the app prompts:

Breeding scheduled? Enter service date, boar used, service type (natural or AI)
Second service reminder: 12-24 hours after first service
Return-to-heat watch: Day 18-24. The app reminds you to check.
Pregnancy confirmation: Day 35-42 (after two full cycles without return)

Farrowing countdown

Once pregnancy is confirmed, the farrowing date is calculated: service date + 114 days. In the final two weeks:

Day 7: Prepare farrowing crate or pen
Day 3: Move sow to farrowing area
Day 0-2: Close monitoring

Litter records

When the sow farrows, you record:

Total born, born alive, stillborn, mummified
Individual piglet birth weights (optional but valuable)
Cross-fostering if needed (moving piglets between sows)

The app tracks:

Weaning date: Based on your target (21 or 28 days)
Wean-to-service interval: Starts counting when you record weaning
Post-weaning heat prediction: Typically 4-7 days after weaning

Sow productivity over time

After several litters, the sow's card shows her lifetime performance:

Litters per year
Average born alive
Average weaned per litter
Average wean-to-service interval
Trend (improving, stable, declining)

When a sow's numbers decline across two consecutive litters, the app flags her for review. You decide whether to breed again or cull — but the data makes the decision clear.

The unified calendar

All breeding events across all modules appear on one calendar:

Heat watch windows (dairy and swine)
Insemination/service dates
Pregnancy check reminders
Expected calvings and farrowings
Vaccination due dates
Flock replacement milestones

This means you open the app once in the morning and see everything that needs attention today — across dairy, poultry, and swine. No separate notebooks, no mental arithmetic, no forgotten dates.

Alerts that matter

Shira sends notifications for time-sensitive events only:

"Cow #4 Nyambura — expected heat window starts tomorrow"
"Sow #7 — return-to-heat check due (21 days post-service)"
"Layer flock A — HDP dropped below 80% for 7 consecutive days"
"Cow #2 Wanjiku — calving expected in 7 days"

You control which alerts you receive and how (push notification, SMS where available). The goal is to tell you what matters without drowning you in noise.

Getting started

You do not need to enter historical data for every animal. Start with:

Add your animals and their current breeding status
Record the next heat or service event that happens
From that point forward, the app tracks everything automatically

In one breeding cycle — 21 days for dairy, 21 days for swine — you will have a working breeding calendar. In three cycles, you will wonder how you managed without it.

Your breeding records, automated. Start at shira.farm.