Erie County 4-H Dairy Project Record Book
Double click to insert
4-Her’s photo.
Name
Address
City, State Zip Code
Club
4-H Age
Years in 4-H
4-H Leader
4-H Offices Held
County
(age as of January 1st of current year) Birth date
Years with dairy project
Objective of 4-H Dairy Project Record Book
 You will learn key lessons on how to keep an effective record book.
 You will understand what is involved in caring for and raising a dairy animal.
 You will be able to compare your success from year to year and be able to identify
things you can change for the next year.
Instructions for Keeping Your Record Book
 Keep entries neat and up to date.
 Books must be done covering August 1st – July 31st.
 Scrapbooking of the book is not allowed. Two pages may be used for photos of
the current year. An optional picture(s) of the 4-Her with each of his/her project
animal may be displayed with the project animal information sheet.
 Understand what each section is asking for before you begin to record
information.
 If you are having problems, you may consult other members of the club, your club
leader or your parents, but all work must be completed by you, not someone else.
This is your book for you to learn.
 You will be required to keep separate information for each animal you have
entered to show at the fair. For calves, you must keep a growth chart. For heifers,
you must keep a growth chart and breeding chart. For cows, you must keep
the breeding chart and lactation chart.
 Your project book must be turned in by July 31st to your leader in a 3-ring binder.
2
The project book is divided into three sections. For your project book to be complete, you
will need to have each section.
1. To be filled out each year with new forms and to be done for each animal:
o 4-Her general information sheet.
o Project Animal Information Sheet for each project animal (you may provide a copy
of your registration paper in place of this sheet).
o Growth Chart Graph for each calf/heifer project animal.
o Breeding Record for each heifer/cow project animal (there are 2 to choose from).
o Lactation Record for each cow project animal.
o Management Expense Record for all project animals or Management Expense
Record for calf, heifer and/or cow depending on project animal(s). You only need
to do one expense record for each age range. (I.e. if you have two projects that are
calves, you only need to do the expense record for one calf.
i. Calf Sheets are for Spring, Winter and Fall Calves.
ii. Heifer Sheets are for Summer Yearling, Spring Yearling, Winter Yearling and
Fall Yearling.
iii. Cow Sheets are for Junior 2-year olds and older.
o Income Record.
o Health/Expense Record.
o Project Story for current project year.
o Two (2) pages of scrapbooking and/or photos for current project year (optional).
2. Age related worksheets. Fill out one per year and continue to add each additional
project year.
3. Lifetime Section
o Continual Animal Inventory (From 1st year of 4-H to present. Include animals
owned and leased.)
o Supply Inventory (You can include everything your family owns.)
o Record of Shows and Fairs
o 4-H Activities
o 4-Her general information sheets from previous years
o Project Story pages from previous years
o Two (2) pages of scrapbooking and/or photos for each previous year
(i.e. 5 previous project years = 10 pages of scrapbook/photos) (optional).
o Dairy Leader Comments (keep from year to year)
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Helpful Hints:
 You may list your barn name or short name for your project animal(s) in all areas
except for your Project Animal Information Sheet.
 You may group all the sheets for each animal together. Then proceed with the next
animal.
o For a Winter Calf:
i. Project Animal Information Sheet or Copy of Registration Paper
ii. Growth Chart Graph
iii. Management Expense Record for calf
o For a 3-year old Cow:
i. Project Animal Information Sheet or Copy of Registration Paper
ii. Breeding Record for each heifer/cow project animal
iii. Lactation Record for each cow project animal
iv. Management Expense Record for cow
4
My Goals for the Project Year
It is very important to set goals to achieve throughout the year with your project animals,
within your 4-H club and on a personal development level. Fill in the boxes below with
several goals to begin the year with. Then, in the second box, write how you plan to meet
these goals. At the end of the year, you can look back at this page to see how well you have
done at accomplishing these goals. You will be required to give a summary of how you met
these goals at the end of this project book on the “My Dairy Project Story” page.
My Goals
Plan for Achieving my Goals
You must be committed to these goals in order to realize them. You will also need the help of
your club leader. Please sign below to show your commitment to these goals. Also have your
leader sign so that they can be made aware of what you would like to accomplish this project
year.
Member signature _________________________________Date ________________
4-H Leader signature_______________________________ Date_________________
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What I Do for My Animals
Your dairy project animal needs a lot of help from you. She relies on you to feed her and care
for her on a daily basis. There are certain activities that you do for your animal with varying
frequencies. For example, hopefully you do not need to have the vet check her every day, but
the vet does need to give your animal shots at times during the year. Here you can share what
daily, weekly, monthly and yearly actions you take to care of your animal. From something as
simple as brushing her, to something crucial as ensuring she has enough water.
Daily Activities
Weekly Activities
Monthly Activities
Yearly Activities
6
Continual Animal Inventory
This is intended as a continual record of all dairy animals that you own and/or lease. You
should include all animals you already own and/or lease, along with all animals you acquire
throughout the year (i.e. all bulls/heifers born/bought/sold). A “continual record” implies
that this will carry over to every year you are working with a dairy project in 4-H. This will
help keep your animal records up to date.
Check
If
project
in
current
year
Animal Name (complete)
Registration
Number
Gender
Breed
Date
of
Birth
Date of
Purchase
or Lease
Years
shown in
4-H
Date of
Sale/
Death
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Project Animal Information
This is a record of the animals that you will be using as your project animals. Please be sure to specify
on the growth/breeding/lactation records which animal you are using. If you are showing more animals
than there are spaces provided, please add sufficient copies of all necessary pages to accommodate
the extra animals. If you have a calf, the growth chart is required. If you have a heifer, the growth and
breeding charts are required; with a cow, the breeding and lactation charts are to be filled out. These
records can be easily transferred from year to year if you continue to show the same animal. You may
substitute a copy of your registration paper for this page. You may use space provided to add photos of
your project animal.
Registration Name of Animal
Barn Name/Number
Breed
Ear Tag Number
Tattoo Number
Registration Number (if registered)
Date of Birth
Date Acquired
Owner’s Name (as on registration paper)
Breeder’s Name (as on registration paper)
Sire’s Full Name
Dam’s Full Name
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Registration Name of Animal
Barn Name/Number
Breed
Ear Tag Number
Tattoo Number
Registration Number (if registered)
Date of Birth
Date Acquired
Owner’s Name (as on registration paper)
Breeder’s Name (as on registration paper)
Sire’s Full Name
Dam’s Full Name
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Growth Chart
Here you will record the growth of your project animal if it is a heifer. On the next page, you will plot
your points onto a graph to show your animal’s growth curve. This is helpful for seeing if your animal is
growing properly.
Animal Name: :
____________________________________________________________________
Birth Date:
Age in
Months
___________________ Breed:
Holstein and Brown
Swiss
___________________
Ayrshire, Milking
Shorthorn, and Guernsey
Jersey
Project Animal
Inches
Pounds
Inches
Pounds
Inches
Pounds
At Birth
29
96
27
70
26
55
2
34
170
32
130
30
115
4
39
270
37
230
34
195
6
44
370
41
320
39
275
8
46
500
44
400
41
385
10
48
600
45
505
43
460
12
50
700
46
600
44
520
14
51
800
48
680
45
575
16
52
900
50
770
46
630
18
53
990
51
860
47
730
20
54
1050
52
910
48
800
22
55
1175
53
1050
50
875
24
56
1300
54
1150
51
960
Inches
Pounds
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Growth Chart Graph
Here you will record the growth of each of your project animals if it is a calf or heifer. Plot your points
onto the graph to show your animal’s growth curve. Use a dotted line for height - - - - and a solid line for
weight ----------------.
Animal Name: __
_____________________________________________
Birth Date: _
_________ Breed: _
______________________
Weight
Height
1800
60
1600
56
1400
52
1200
48
1000
44
800
40
600
36
400
32
200
28
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
24
Age in Months
Use a dotted line for height - - - - - - - - Use a solid line for weight
Compare your animal’s growth to its breed average; is it above or below the average?
____________________________________________________________________________________
If your heifer’s growth is below average, what are some things that you could do to improve its growth?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Breeding Record
Whenever you breed your animal(s), record the date and the sire in the following table.
Once your animal(s) is confirmed pregnant, record the due date in the table. Then when
your animal calves, record the date in the table.
First Service
Animal Name
Date
Bred
Service
Sire
Second Service
Date
Bred
Service
Sire
Third Service
Date
Bred
Service
Sire
Fourth Service
Date
Bred
Service
Sire
Due
Date
Date
Calved
Gender
of Calf
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Breeding Record
Whenever you breed your animal(s), record the date and the sire in the following table. Once your
animal(s) is confirmed pregnant, record the due date in the table. Then when your animal calves, record
the date in the table.
Animal Name: __
Birth Date: _
_____________________________________________
_________ Breed: _
Date
Bred
Sire
Date
Bred
Sire
______________________
Date
Bred
Sire
Date
Bred
Sire
Due
Date
Date
Calved
Due
Date
Date
Calved
Pre-Lactation
1st Lactation
2nd Lactation
3rd Lactation
4th Lactation
5th Lactation
Animal Name: __
Birth Date: _
_____________________________________________
_________ Breed: _
Date
Bred
Sire
Date
Bred
Sire
______________________
Date
Bred
Sire
Date
Bred
Sire
Pre-Lactation
1st Lactation
2nd Lactation
3rd Lactation
4th Lactation
5th Lactation
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Lactation Record
Animal Name:
Birth Date:
Lactation Number:
Last Fresh Date: _________________ Due Date: ________________ Dry off Date: ______________
Record the daily milk production for each month and then multiply that number by the number of days in the month.
At the end of the year add up all the monthly totals for the yearly milk production total. Please specify what month
you are starting with. Also, write if you are starting in the middle of a lactation, or if your animal was fresh for the
beginning of this record or when she goes dry. Then, figure out how many days in milk your animal is and the
corresponding pounds per day that goes along with it and plot them on the graph below.
Jan
Feb
March
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
Pounds
per day
# of days
in month
Yearly
Total
Monthly
Total
Graph each animal below.
Label each animal’s line if more than one.
140
120
Pounds per Day
100
80
60
40
20
0
30
60
90
120
150
180 210 240
Days in Milk
270
300
330
360
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Management Expense Sheet
(Complete this information in place of Calf/Heifer/Cow Management Expense Sheets)
In this section, please describe your herd feeding program for calves, heifers and cows (depending on
your project animals). Include the following information in your description:
 What and how much of it you feed to all the different groups of animals (calves, heifers, dry cows, low
producers, high producers, etc.) you have. For example – what and how much you feed your calves
daily.
 Include the “recipe” for TMR mixtures and grain mixtures, feed bag tags, etc.
 List the annual feed costs for your herd.
 Include information regarding the type of housing for your animals, bedding used, cost and disposal
of manure. Optional: include the cost of the equipment used on the farm.
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Calf Management Expense Sheet
You only need to fill out one calf record regardless of the number of calves you have as projects.
Here you will figure out how much it costs to raise your calf, for this year, from birth to 1 year. Use
your project animal and estimate how much it costs to care for your calf. You will start at
the beginning of the project year and count how many days your calf was fed liquid feed (milk or
milk replacer), then how many days it received calf starter until it went on regular feed. Multiply
the days by the price per day.
Animal Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Birth Date: _____________________________________
Item
Average Cost*
(for 1 Calf for 1 Day)
(in dollars)
Liquid Feed
0.80
Calf Starter
0.30
Grain
0.93
Hay
0.90
Bedding
0.57
# of Days fed
Average Cost
of Raising Your Calf
(in dollars)
Total Cost
* Calf estimates derived from www.das.psu.edu/dcn/CALFMGT/special/files/psucrrhManure2.xls. Gabler,
Tozer, Heinrichs, and Beck. 2/20/04.
How old should a calf be at weaning? ___________________________________________________
Do you feed your calf whole milk or milk replacer? ________________________________________
If you feed whole milk, what is value of the milk you feed per day? ___________________________
If you feed milk replacer, what is the cost of one bag of milk replacer? _______________________
What brand of milk replacer did you price? _________________________________________
Is the milk replacer medicated?:___________________________________________________
How many pounds of calf starter should a calf be eating at weaning? _________________________
What type of bedding do you use for your calf? ____________________________________________
What type of housing is your project animal living in ? ______________________________________
(i.e. calf hutch, calf barn, pasture)
Do you treat your show calf differently than other calves on your farm? _______ How? (add additional
sheet if necessary.)
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Heifer Management Expense Sheet
You only need to fill out one heifer record regardless of the number of heifers you have as
projects. Here you will figure out how much it costs to raise your heifer, for this year, from 1 year
to calving. Use your project animal and estimate how much it costs to care for your heifer. You
will start at the beginning of the project year and count how many days your heifer was fed feed.
Multiply the days by the price per day.
Animal Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Birth Date: _____________________________________
Item
Average Cost*
(for 1 Heifer for 1 Day)
(in dollars)
Grain
0.93
Hay
3.00
Pasture
1.00
Bedding
0.09
# of Days fed
Average Cost
of Raising Your Heifer
(in dollars)
Total Cost
* Heifer estimates derived from www.das.psu.edu/dcn/CALFMGT/special/files/psucrrhManure2.xls. Gabler,
Tozer, Heinrichs, and Beck. 2/20/04.
How many pounds of grain does your heifer need per day? ___________________________________
How old should your heifer be at first breeding?_____________________________________________
What type of bedding do you use for your heifer? ___________________________________________
What is the cost of the bedding you use? __________________________________________________
(i.e. Straw at $5 per bale or sawdust at $300 a ton)
What type of housing is your project animal living in? _______________________________________
(i.e. stall barn, loose housing, pasture)
How is the manure handled (i.e. pitch it, skid steer, barn cleaner or some other method? ________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
How is your manure utilized? ____________________________________________________________
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Cow Management Expense Sheet
You only need to fill out one cow record regardless of the number of cows you have as projects.
Here you will figure out how much it costs to milk your cow, for this year, from calving to end of
project year. Use your project animal and estimate how much it costs to care for your cow. You
will start at the beginning of the project year and count how many days your cow was milking and
dry. Multiply the days by the price per day.
Animal Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Birth Date: _____________________________________
Item
Average Cost**
(for 1 Cow for 1 Day)
(in dollars)
Grain
2.00
TMR
4.70
Hay
0.30
Silage
0.70
Pasture
1.00
Bedding
0.10
# of Days fed
Average Cost
of Raising Your Cow
(in dollars)
Total Cost
** Cow estimates derived from 2000 Pennsylvania Dairy Farm Business Analysis. Roth and Hyde. 2001. With
assistance from Dr. C. Dechow, PSU Dairy and Animal Science Professor.
If you feed a Feed mix instead of TMR, what is in your ration? _______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
What does a batch of your ration cost (i.e. per bag or per ton)? _____________________________
If you feed a TMR, what is in the TMR that you feed? ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
What type of bedding do you use for your cow? ___________________________________________
What is the cost of the bedding you use? __________________________________________________
(i.e. Straw at $5 per bale or sawdust at $300 a ton)
What type of housing is your project animal living in? _______________________________________
(i.e. stall barn, loose housing, pasture)
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Project Year: _______________
Health/Expense Record
It is important to keep a list of visits and procedures performed by the veterinarian or other
personnel on your project animals. You can use the animal’s first name for this record. If more
than one animal is treated on a day, list all of the animal’s names and only list the cost once
(i.e. Rosie/Daisy/Sami – 1/1/09 – Hoof Trimmer - $30.00). Include in this record: breeding,
vaccinations, health papers, deworming, horn removal, vet visit, hoof trimming, show entry fees,
purchasing show supplies, etc..
Animal Name(s)
Date
What was done or paid for
Cost
Total:
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Supply Inventory
It is important to keep track of all the barn and show supplies you acquire. Here, you will keep a continuous record of all the supplies and equipment you have or your family owns. This should be a list of all
relevant supplies you currently own, along with those that you bought or acquired during the project
year. This way you can determine what you have at the start of each year, and know what things you will
need to buy for the year. Items include show/rope halters, feed equipment, water buckets, etc.
Date Acquired
Item Description
Intended Use
(full date or year)
Cost
20
Project Year: _______________
Income Record
On this record, you will record income that you received or was earned by your project animals. Include
sale of bull calves, project animals, show winnings and milk sold from your cows.
Date
What was sold/show winnings
Value
Value of Milk Sold:
To get the number of pounds per month, refer to your lactation record for
the average pounds per day for each month, multiply by the number of days in the month for total pounds
per month for each milking project animal.
Month
a
b
c
Total Value
Pounds per month
Pounds per
Avg. cwt price
(Column b multiplied
for all milking
month divided by
animals
100
by column c)
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Total Value
21
Project Year: _______________
Record of Shows and Fairs
This is a record of how you did at the various shows and fairs you attended with your animals
throughout the year. It will be nice to have this recorded so you can look back and see how you have
done over the years. Also, you will be able to keep track of basic show expenses (entry fees) and
the money you were awarded for showing (premiums). Make sure to list the animal’s name, the dates
they were showed, the show’s name, the place awarded, along with premiums and entry fees.
Name of Animal
Date
Name of Show/Fair
# in Class
Placing &
Ribbon
Entry
Fees
Premiums
(if any)
22
My Financial Summary
Here you will record all expenses and income generated throughout the project year with your project animals. If
you are unsure of specific dollar figures, ask for help to estimate the best amount. “Other” items could be the sale of
embryos or the cost of having a cow classified.
Revenue:
Sale of project animal’s offspring:
$___________________
Sale of project animal’s milk*:
$___________________
Show/Fair Premiums:
$___________________
(Other) : ___________________
$___________________
(Other) : ___________________
$___________________
Total Revenue:
$___________________
Expenses:
Total from “Management Expense Sheet”: $___________________
Total from Health/Expense Record:
$___________________
Purchase of Project Animal(s):
$___________________
Show Entry Fees:
$___________________
Equipment Purchases:
$___________________
(Other) : ___________________
$___________________
(Other) : ___________________
$___________________
Total Expenses:
$___________________
Total Net Income
Total Revenue – Total Expenses =
$___________________
How important is it to have a positive number for total income? What are some things you can do to increase
your total income? ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
* Total Animal Production divided by 100 multiplied by Price per 100 weight.
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Project Year: _______________
My Dairy Project Story
This should be an account of your current project year. Be sure to include the activities you were a part of, the awards and
recognition you received, and your achievements from the year. Please feel free to add sheets of paper as needed.
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4-H Activities
This should be a list of all the activities you participated in this project year with 4-H. It can include
all the meetings you attended, special workshops that were held, field trips or any other type of
activity that you feel has helped you develop throughout the year. Add additional pages as needed.
Name of Activity
Date &
Location
What I Did
Club/County/State/
National Level
Recognition/
Award Earned
25
Dairy Leader Comments
AGE
COMMENTS
SIGNATURE
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
26
Project Evaluation
Highest
Score
Care and Management of Animals
Are facilities and equipment safe and appropriate?
Are animals, facilities and equipment clean and wellkept?
Are animals fed recommended kinds and amounts of
feed and water?
Do animals show proper growth and condition?
Are appropriate procedures being followed to trim
hooves, control parasites, and maintain health?
Is member able to handle animals safely and properly?
Did member do most of the work to care for own animals
or actively participate in caring for boarded or leased
animals?
Subtotal for care of animals
Project Record
Are goals clearly stated?
Is information complete and correct?
Project Animal Info
Growth/Breeding & Lactation Records
Project Story
Animal & Supply Inventory
Shows
Photos
Subtotal for Project Record
Member Participation and Accomplishments
Did member participate in meetings and other 4-H
events?
Did member show evidence of improved skills and
knowledge?
Did member meet planned goals?
4-H Dairy Skills Activity for Age
Subtotal for participation and accomplishments
Total Points for Project
Score
Yourself
Score from
Your Leader
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
35
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
35
5
5
5
15
30
100
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4-H Club Motto
"To make the best better"
4-H Club Pledge
I pledge
My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service, and
My health to better living, for
My club,
My community,
My country, and
My world.
4-H Club Colors
Green and White
Updated by the Erie County Dairy Committee January 2015.
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