Spreadsheets can be a useful way to get started with farm records. But as a herd grows, it can become harder to see the full picture: how an animal or batch is growing, whether it is likely to reach its target weight on time, and whether a health event needs follow-up.
The challenge is not simply recording more information. It is being able to find and connect the records when you need them.
Digital pig-management software can bring weight records, health events and follow-up reminders together. It still depends on people recording weights and observations, but it can make progress and outstanding actions easier to review.
Why pig health and growth tracking gets harder as a herd grows
When there are only a few pigs to manage, it may be straightforward to remember when an animal was weighed or treated. As the herd grows, records can spread across several spreadsheets, tabs or files. That makes it harder to answer practical questions quickly:
- Is this pig gaining weight over time, or losing weight?
- Is this batch on course to reach its target weight by the planned date?
- Which animals or batches have had a health event?
- Does any event need a follow-up intervention?
- What should be reviewed if growth is behind target?
The difficulty is often not that the information does not exist. It is that the records are separate, or that finding the right entry takes longer than it should.
A spreadsheet can show figures, but a farmer may still need to search through rows, compare dates and remember to check for follow-ups. A connected record system can make these checks part of a more consistent routine.
What information should you track?
Good records start with a clear way to identify the animal or group they relate to. From there, record the information that helps you monitor progress and understand what may need attention.
Identify the pig or batch
Some pigs need individual records, particularly breeding animals or pigs whose history needs to be followed over time. Other pigs may be managed together as a batch, especially when the farm’s workflow focuses on group growth and finishing.
The important thing is that each record can be linked to the right animal or batch. That gives the farm a place to build a useful history rather than a collection of unconnected entries.
Build a weight history
A single weight tells you where an animal or batch is at one point in time. A series of dated weights can show how it is changing.
Recording weights over time helps answer questions such as:
- Is weight increasing between weigh-ins?
- Is growth following the expected trajectory?
- Is the pig or batch likely to meet the target weight in the planned timeframe?
- Is progress changing enough to warrant a closer review?
LivestockIQ supports weight records for individual pigs and batch averages, and allows actual progress to be compared with a target trajectory. This can help show whether a pig or batch is ahead of, on, or behind its target. www.livestockiq.co.uk
Record health events and follow-ups
A health record is more useful when it shows what happened, which animal or batch it concerned, and whether anything needs to happen next. An observation or treatment can be recorded as an event, with a reminder for a follow-up intervention where needed.
Over time, these records help make health history easier to review. They can also bring recurring events to a farmer’s attention. A reminder does not diagnose a problem; it helps the team remember to carry out a planned follow-up.
How can you tell whether pigs are on course to reach target weight?
To understand whether growth is on track, compare actual weights with the target and timeframe you are working towards.
For example, a farmer may have a target finishing weight and a preferred time to reach it. If weights are recorded at intervals during the growth period, the farmer can review progress before the planned finishing date. This gives more opportunity to notice that an animal or batch may be falling behind.
If the only comparison happens at the end of the cycle, the farmer may discover the shortfall when there is less time to investigate or adjust the plan. Reviewing progress earlier can help make weight records more useful for day-to-day decisions.
The same approach applies whether pigs are being tracked individually or as a batch. The level of detail depends on how the farm manages its pigs and what it needs to know.
What should you review if growth is behind target?
A growth record can show that progress is different from the expected trajectory. It cannot, by itself, explain why. The next step is to review the wider picture.
Depending on the farm and the situation, this may include reviewing feed, observing the pigs for health conditions, considering environmental factors, and checking other events recorded for the animal or batch.
When health, feed and growth records are connected, it can be easier to see what happened during the same period. That provides useful context for deciding what to investigate. It does not prove that one event caused a change in growth, but it can help the farmer ask better questions.
The aim is to notice a possible issue early enough to review it, rather than relying on a single end-of-cycle weight.
Make health follow-ups easier to remember
Recording a health event is only one part of managing it. Some events need a later check or intervention, and those actions can be difficult to keep in view when they are written in a separate file or remembered informally.
A digital health record can include a follow-up reminder. The farmer or team member can then see that a check or intervention is due and return to the animal or batch history to review what has already been recorded.
This is especially useful when several people contribute to farm records. A shared history helps the team understand what has happened and what still needs attention.
Moving from spreadsheets does not have to be a big project
Switching to a digital system does not mean every historical record has to be perfect before you begin. A practical first step could be:
- Start with one active batch and record its weights and relevant events.
- Import existing animal records for pigs that need individual identification.
- Create a new animal record when a pig needs to be tracked individually.
For imported animal records, an identifier is the essential starting point; other details can be added as they become available. Batch animals that do not need individual identification can be created as a batch in the system.
LivestockIQ’s templates include helper text to guide farmers through the import process. You can also review the LivestockIQ user guide for information on animal records, health events, weights and growth.
Starting with current animals or batches can help establish a useful routine without waiting to digitise every past entry. Once the routine is working, the farm can decide which additional records to bring in.
What can digital tracking automate?
Digital tracking can make information easier to organise, compare and revisit. It can help show weight history against a target and provide reminders for planned follow-ups.
It does not remove the need for someone to observe the pigs, enter accurate weights, record health events or decide what action to take. The benefit is that once those details are recorded, they can be kept together and made easier to review.
That distinction matters. A tracking system supports the farmer’s attention and decision-making; it does not replace them.
A clearer view of health and growth
Tracking pig health and growth without spreadsheets is not about collecting data for its own sake. It is about being able to see whether pigs are progressing as expected, review relevant health and farm events, and remember follow-ups.
As a herd grows, connected animal or batch records can make those checks easier to manage. You can explore how LivestockIQ brings pig farm records together or start a 14-day free trial to see whether it fits your workflow.Start writing here...