How to Start Keeping Dairy Records Today — Even If You Have Never Used an App

You have heard the advice a hundred times: keep better records. But nobody tells you exactly how to start. Not in a way that works for a Kenyan dairy farmer who milks at 5am, has inconsistent internet, and has never used a farm app before.

This guide changes that. By the end, you will know exactly what to record, when to record it, and how to turn those numbers into decisions that save you money.

Step 1: Start with milk yield only

Do not try to record everything on day one. The single most valuable record on a dairy farm is milk yield per cow per milking session.

Here is what to record after every milking:

Which cow (name or tag number)
How many litres (measure, do not estimate)
Which session (morning or evening)
Date (the app handles this automatically)

That is it. Four pieces of information, twice a day. It takes less than two minutes per session.

If you have 8 cows and milk twice a day, that is 16 entries. With a phone app, you tap the cow name, enter the litres, and move on. Total time: about 5 minutes after each milking.

Step 2: Get a proper measuring container

The biggest source of error in milk records is estimation. "About 5 litres" is not a record. It is a guess.

Buy or mark a bucket with litre lines. You can use a permanent marker and a known 1-litre container to create your own graduated bucket. Or buy an aluminium measuring can from any dairy supply shop — they cost KES 500 to 1,500 depending on size.

Measure every milking. Every cow. Every time.

Step 3: Choose your recording method

You have three options, from simple to powerful:

Option A: Paper first, then phone. If you are not comfortable entering data on a phone during milking, write it in a notebook and transfer it to the app within an hour. This works, but creates double work.

Option B: Phone in the parlour. Keep your phone in a plastic bag or ziplock to protect it from moisture. Enter records immediately after each cow. This is the fastest method and eliminates transcription errors.

Option C: Have someone else enter. If you have a family member or farm worker who is comfortable with a phone, they can enter records while you milk. The app supports multiple users with different access levels.

Step 4: Do not skip a single day

The value of records comes from consistency. One week of data tells you nothing. One month tells you something. Three months tells you a lot.

Make it a non-negotiable part of your routine: milk the cow, measure the yield, record it. Like locking the gate or washing the equipment. It is not optional.

If you miss a day, enter it as soon as you remember. An estimated entry is better than a blank one. But try not to miss.

Step 5: Look at your data after 7 days

After one week, open your app and look at the summary. You will see:

Total yield per day — your farm's daily production
Per-cow averages — who is giving the most and who is lagging
Morning vs evening split — most cows give 60% in the morning session

If any cow's average seems wrong — much lower or higher than expected — check your measurement. Early data problems are almost always measurement problems.

Step 6: Add feed records after 2 weeks

Once milk recording is habitual, add feed. Record:

What feed you bought (dairy meal, hay, silage, minerals)
How much it cost (KES per bag or bale)
Daily usage (how many kilograms you use per day across the herd)

You do not need to weigh feed for each individual cow yet. Start with total daily usage. If you use 3 bags of dairy meal per day across 8 cows, that is 150 kg per day, and the app can calculate your herd-level feed cost per litre.

Step 7: Add health records as events happen

You do not need to create a health entry every day. Record when something happens:

Vet visit — date, which cow, diagnosis, treatment, cost
Vaccination — date, which vaccine, which animals received it
Treatment — date, medicine name, dosage, withdrawal period
Observation — lumpy milk, swollen udder, limping, off-feed

Health records build over time. After six months, you can see which cows cost the most in veterinary care — and whether those costs are justified by their production.

Step 8: Add breeding records within the first month

If any cow is being bred or is expected to come into heat, add:

Last heat date (even if approximate)
Insemination date and semen used
Expected return to heat (21 days after insemination)
Pregnancy check date and result

The app calculates expected calving dates and sends reminders for heat checks and pregnancy confirmation. This alone prevents the missed-heat losses that cost KES 3,000 to 5,000 per cycle.

Common objections and honest answers

"My phone is old." If it runs WhatsApp, it can run a farm app. Shira works on Android 8 and above.

"I do not have internet in the morning." Shira works offline. Enter records at 5am with no connection. They sync when you are back in range — even hours later.

"My herdsman cannot use a phone." Start by recording yourself. If it works, teach the herdsman the milk entry screen — it is one page with a cow name and a number. Many herdsmen learn it in a single session.

"I only have 3 cows, is it worth it?" Three cows means every cow matters. If one is unprofitable, that is a third of your herd. You need to know.

"I have been farming for 20 years without an app." And you have been profitable despite not having data. Imagine how much more profitable you could be with it.

The 30-day promise

Give it 30 days. Record milk yield every day for one month. At the end of that month, look at your per-cow averages, your daily totals, and your production trends.

If the data does not tell you something you did not already know — something useful, something that saves you money or catches a problem early — then stop. No harm done.

But every farmer who has tried this for 30 days has found at least one surprise in their data. One cow they thought was good but was not. One trend they missed. One cost they underestimated.

Thirty days. Five minutes a day. Start today.