Software for tracking meat rabbit data

[wsmoak]

Hi! I haven’t been around lately, but I still have my Californians.

I wonder, what is everyone doing with their data? I have pieces of paper, index cards, a Google Docs spreadsheet… it’s not pretty.

I looked around to see if there was anything available, and the software packages I found were a) for Windows and b) mostly aimed at printing pedigrees. Not what I need.

I am interested in tracking…
- litter weights by date to see which does are producing the most meat
- carcass weights when they are processed
- how much I’m feeding, and the conversion rate
- the cost of feed and other inputs

I also need it to remind me when to add nest boxes, tell me when to expect kits, etc.

Extra points if I can enter the data on my phone while I’m out with the rabbits.

I have started an open source project to do this. It’s very early days — right now I am letting the data model emerge by entering data and then querying to see if I can get what I need out of it.

For example, I’m currently thrilled that after entering a pair of rabbits and recording when the doe was exposed to the buck, the ‘Schedule’ page says:

Doe C3 bred (to C4) 11/07 to 11/09. Add nestbox on Thu 12/04. Kits due Mon 12/08 to Wed 12/10. Remove nestbox on Sun 12/14.

Eventually this might be a nice calendar view and have push notifications, who knows! Right now the entire thing is plain text.

You can play with it at: https://blooming-refuge-2254.herokuapp.com

It’s wide open and public, so don’t enter anything sensitive. Also don’t expect anything you enter to stay there permanently.

(If you’re interested, the code lives at https://github.com/wsmoak/nivens-sinatra .)

I’m interested to know what kind of data YOU keep track of, and what you do with it.

Thanks!
- Wendy

 

[skysthelimit]

Kintraks, but the 4H pdfs from Colorado state are better than any thing I've seen so far.

 

[wsmoak]

Thanks! Do you have a link to the Colorado State PDFs you mentioned? -Wendy

 

[JessiL]

I do some of those things, but not all, in Excel. I have one file that tracks breeding info (and has formulas so that once I enter in a breeding, the dates for palpation, test breeding, nest box provision, and expected kindling all pop up; then also has rebreeding and weaning date suggestions once I enter the actual kindling date), another for tracking feed purchases, and another that handles stats associated with slaughter day. So far it works well for me, but if I were really serious, I'd integrate it all into a real database like MySQL or Access or something.

I mostly handle the pedigree aspect with GlobalPedigree.com, but have paper backups of all my breeding stock so that I could go without the website, if need be.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I am trying to get Evans transferred over to this computer from my old one, but I don't remember it being very friendly for commercial use for some reason. I'd also like to see the CO State PDFs if possible. I honestly don't track for meat at all- I don't think I've figured out even 1 dress out %, but it is on my list because it could contribute some interesting data.