Milk production
Milk production records for every milking
Dairy Vitals milk production tracking records the litres from every milking, either for each animal on one daily sheet or as the farm's total litres for each milking, whichever you are able to measure. It then shows today's total so far, the last seven days, a chart of the last month and what still needs logging, and you can download daily and summary CSV reports.
Free for up to 30 animals. No credit card required.
Daily sheet · litres per milking
| Animal | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| C-101 | 6.5 | 5.8 |
| C-102 | 7.2 | 6.4 |
| C-103 | 5.9 | to log |
The last 14 days, farm total
The hatched bar is today, still being logged.
How milk production works
Step 1: Choose how you record milk.
Record it for each animal, or as the farm's total litres for each milking, and set the farm's usual number of milkings a day. If you record per animal, you can give any animal its own number from 1 to 6, or mark it not milked (a dry cow, a heifer or a calf). You can switch at any time and your earlier records stay saved.
Step 2: Fill in the daily sheet.
Open the sheet for a day. Per animal, type the litres for each animal and each milking; for the whole farm, type one total for each milking. Save once for the whole sheet.
Step 3: Watch the dashboard.
It shows today's total so far, yesterday with the change, the average of the last 7 days, the month to date, the best and lowest day and a chart of the last month. The farm's home dashboard has a Milk tab with this month so far, last month and a comparison with the same days last month. Farms that record per animal also see the animals with the most and fewest litres a day.
Step 4: Chase what is missing.
The dashboard shows which milkings, or for per-animal farms which animals, still have nothing logged today, with a link straight to the sheet.
Step 5: Download reports.
Choose a month or any date range for a daily CSV and a monthly summary CSV of the farm's litres, or for a per-animal daily CSV and a summary of all animals, to open in a spreadsheet.
What you can do
Two ways to record milk
Type the litres for each animal, or type one total for the whole farm at each milking when you cannot measure each animal. You can switch at any time. A day counts as the farm's total when you entered one, otherwise as the sum of the animals' numbers, and the two are never added together.
A milking pattern per animal
When you record per animal, each animal is milked 0 to 6 times a day, or follows the farm's default. Animals set to 0 are left off the sheet and out of the still-to-log list. You can change the number later without losing any saved milk.
One daily sheet
Per animal: one row per milked animal and one box per milking, with keyboard movement between boxes, comma or point as the decimal mark, a warning for an unusually large amount and one Save for everything that changed. For the whole farm: one box per milking, the day's total and a check before an unusually large total is saved.
A dashboard of what you logged
Today so far, yesterday with the change, the last 7 days, the month to date, the best and lowest day and a bar chart of the last month, with days that are only partly logged marked on the chart. A farm that records totals also sees how many of the last 14 days were fully logged.
Who is producing, who is not logged
Farms that record per animal see the animals with the most and fewest litres a day over the last week, and a list of the animals that still need a milking logged today. Farms that record totals see which milkings are still to log.
Per-animal milk history
Each animal's page has a milk card with her last 14 days. On farms that record per animal it also has a small form to enter or correct a day and, for owners and managers, delete of a saved amount.
CSV reports on the website
A daily CSV and a monthly summary CSV of the farm's litres, with total litres, the average per complete day and the best and lowest days. Farms with per-animal records can also download a daily CSV for one animal and a summary of all animals.
The right access for the team
Workers can log milk and correct their own recent entries; owners and managers can correct any entry and delete one. Milk records are included on every plan and do not count towards the animal limit.
Worth knowing. Only litres are recorded: there are no fat or protein percentages, milk quality grades, prices or sales. A farm total is the figure you type, including any milk the farm keeps or sells itself. The farm dashboard shows what you have logged, so a day with nothing logged is shown as missing, not as zero.
Who it is for
Milk production tracking is for farms that milk by hand or by machine and want a clear record of their litres: smallholders who now keep it in a notebook, farms that can only measure the total for the whole farm, and larger herds that record each animal where several people milk. Dairy Vitals records litres you type in; it does not connect to milk meters or milking machines.
Also in Dairy Vitals
- Fertility trackingHeats, inseminations, pregnancy outcomes and treatments for each animal, with the status and the next dates worked out for you.Learn more →
- Weight trackingEstimate weight from two tape measurements or enter it yourself, save each with the animal and compare weights over time.Learn more →
- Feed and expense trackingRecord the feeds you use, per bag or per kg, the farm's expenses such as salaries and bills, and what a treatment or an insemination cost, then see a monthly summary of what you recorded. On every plan, including Free.Learn more →
- Deworming scheduleWrite your farm's own deworming schedule once, see when each animal is due and record doses for one animal or the whole herd. On the Starter and Growth plans.Learn more →
Frequently asked questions
How does milk production tracking work in Dairy Vitals?
You choose how you record milk and how many times a day the farm is milked (1 to 6). Then you enter the litres from each milking on one daily sheet, either for each animal or as the farm's total for the whole farm. The farm dashboard turns that into today's total so far, the last 7 days, the month to date and a chart of the last month.
Can I record milk for the whole farm instead of each animal?
Yes. If you cannot measure each animal, record one total for the whole farm at each milking, including any milk the farm keeps or sells itself. You can switch between the two ways at any time and your earlier records stay saved. A day counts as the farm's total when you entered one, otherwise as the sum of the animals' numbers; the two are never added together for the same day.
What exactly do I enter?
The litres from each milking, with up to two decimal places: for one animal an amount up to 100 litres, or for the whole farm the farm's total for that milking. A 0 means the animal or farm was milked and gave no milk; an empty box means nothing has been logged, and the dashboard treats the two differently. Only litres are recorded: there are no fat or protein percentages, quality grades, prices or sales.
What does the dashboard show?
Today's total so far, yesterday's total and how it compares with the day before, the average of the last 7 days, the month-to-date total, the best and lowest day, and a chart of the last month. Farms that record per animal also see the animals with the most and fewest litres a day and the animals that still need a milking logged today; farms that record totals see which milkings are still to log. Days with a milking missing are left out of the averages. The Milk tab of the farm's home dashboard adds this month so far, last month and a comparison with the same days last month. Everything is calculated from the litres you have entered.
Can I download my milk records?
Yes. On the website you can download a daily CSV and a monthly summary CSV of the farm's litres for a month or any date range, and, if you have per-animal records, a daily CSV for one animal and a summary of all animals. They open in Excel or Google Sheets. The all-records export, a ZIP of CSV files you can download any time, includes your milk records too.
Who can log and change milk records?
Everyone on the farm team can log milk. Workers can correct recent entries and the ones they saved themselves; owners and managers can correct any entry, delete a saved amount and change how the farm records milk.
Can I log milk from my phone?
The website is designed to work on a phone browser, so you can fill in the daily sheet from the barn. A separate phone app that can log milk offline is in development but is not yet available.
Is milk production tracking free?
Yes. Logging milk, the dashboard and the CSV reports are included on every plan, including the Free plan for up to 30 animals, and milk records do not count towards the animal limit.
More about the plans on the pricing page, or ask us a question.
Try milk production on your own herd
Create a free account, add your first animals and start recording today. No credit card needed.