— Dairy management software
Dairy management software for herd, milk and money
DairyLogs is dairy management software for milk recording, breeding, herd health, feed and farm finances. It runs a dairy herd management program in which every cow, every litre and every dollar lives in one record, so you can see what each animal earns and what she costs, from any phone or computer.
Free for up to 10 animals — no card required
— Quick answer
What is dairy management software?
Dairy management software is a dairy herd management program that records everything that happens on a dairy farm — milk yield per cow and per session, heats, inseminations, pregnancy checks, calvings, treatments, feed and money — and turns those records into alerts and reports. Good dairy management software replaces notebooks and spreadsheets, reminds you what is due today, and shows the cost of producing each litre so you can decide which cows to keep, breed or cull.
Key takeaways
- One record per animal: pedigree, lactation, breeding, health and milk history in one profile.
- Daily task list built from your own data — heats to watch, cows to dry off, calvings due, milk withdrawals ending.
- Money tied to production: feed cost, income over feed cost (IOFC) and cost per litre without a separate spreadsheet.
- Free for up to 10 animals; paid plans from $10 a month.
Last updated by the Dairy Logs team
— The problem
Why dairies outgrow notebooks and spreadsheets
Most dairies start with a diary in the parlour and a spreadsheet in the office. It works until the herd, the staff or the debt grows.
A missed heat costs a dairy roughly three weeks of a cow's productive life. A treated cow whose milk goes into the bulk tank can cost a whole load and the buyer's trust. A cow that eats more than she earns can hide in a herd average for an entire lactation. None of these are knowledge problems — every farmer knows the rules. They are record problems: the information exists, but it is scattered across a notebook, a vet invoice, a phone camera roll and somebody's memory.
Dairy herd management software fixes that by making the record the job. When a milker logs litres, a stockperson logs a heat or a manager logs a vaccine, the software already knows what that event means for tomorrow: when to inseminate, when the withdrawal ends, when the cow is due to calve and how much that lactation is worth. The result is fewer surprises and decisions that rest on numbers rather than gut feel.
Spreadsheets can hold the same data, but they do not send reminders, they break when two people edit them, and they rarely connect milk to money. That gap — between what the herd produces and what the business earns — is where dairy management software pays for itself.
— What it covers
What dairy herd management software should do
DairyLogs groups the work of a dairy into modules that share one herd list. Each links to a deeper explanation.
- 01
Milk recording
Log litres per cow and per session, or as a bulk figure. See daily, weekly and lactation trends and spot cows that drop before they fall ill.
Milk recording - 02
Breeding & reproduction
Heats, inseminations, sires, semen straws, pregnancy checks and synchronisation protocols such as Ovsynch, with due dates calculated for you.
Breeding software - 03
Calving & young stock
Expected calving dates, dry-off reminders, calving events with calf details, and heifers that join the herd with dam and sire already linked.
Calving records - 04
Herd health
Treatments, vaccinations, deworming and medicine stock, with milk withdrawal dates so treated milk never reaches the tank.
Health records - 05
Feed management
Rations, feed plans, recipes and feed stock, so you know what each group eats, what it costs and how many days of feed are left.
Feed management - 06
Inventory
Medicines, semen, feed and maintenance supplies in one stock view, with usage deducted as you record the work.
Inventory - 07
Finance
Income, expenses, milk customers, receivables, payables and accounts — the dairy's books next to the herd that earns them.
Dairy finance - 08
Reports
Cost per litre, income over feed cost, feed cost, cash flow and income vs cost reports that compare months and animals.
Dairy reports - 09
Team & roles
Invite milkers, managers and advisers with roles and permissions, track salaries, and send daily email summaries to the owner.
Roles guide
— The routine
What a dairy herd management program includes
A dairy herd management program is the routine the farm runs: who gets bred, who gets treated, when cows are dried off, and which numbers get reviewed. Dairy herd management software is what keeps that routine on each cow instead of in someone's memory.
Reproduction
Heats, services, pregnancy checks, a voluntary waiting period and a dry-off date for every cow. DairyLogs builds today's list from those dates, including protocols such as Ovsynch.
Milk
Litres per cow or per session, and milk kept out of the tank during a withdrawal. You see a cow dropping against her own history before the herd average moves.
Health
Treatments, vaccinations and deworming, with the product and the milk withdrawal date on the cow. The same entry reduces medicine stock.
Youngstock
Calves linked to dam and sire at birth, then vaccinations and first breeding through to first calving, so replacements are not a separate notebook.
Feeding
Rations and feed stock against the group that ate them, so you can see feed cost and how many days of feed are left.
A monthly look at the numbers
Cost per litre and income over feed cost come from the same records. Keep, breed or cull decisions then use the cow's history, not the herd average alone.
— One cow at a time
Dairy cow management software for each cow in the herd
Herd reports tell you how the group is doing. Breeding, treatment and culling decisions are made one cow at a time, usually while you are standing next to her. Dairy cow management software is that individual record. Breeding cows you are not milking are a better fit for cow management software.
- Tag, breed, lactation number and status, readable on a phone in the parlour.
- Last service, sire, pregnancy result and expected calving on the same screen.
- Treatments and the milk withdrawal end date for this cow, not a barn list.
- Her milk history sits behind the profile, so a drop is hers, not the herd's.
— Inside the software
Milk records you can act on, not just store
Milk is the dairy's paycheque, so DairyLogs makes it the fastest thing to record and the easiest to read back.
- Record morning, midday and evening sessions per cow, or one bulk figure per session.
- Compare each cow against her own lactation curve and the herd average.
- Separate milk sold, fed to calves, used at home or discarded during withdrawal.
- Feed every litre into cost per litre and income over feed cost reports automatically.
— How it fits the routine
A working day with dairy farm management software
Software only helps if it fits the routine you already have. Here is how a typical day looks once the herd is in DairyLogs.
Before morning milking
Open the dashboard on your phone. Today's list shows cows on milk withdrawal, cows due for a heat check and anything due to calve this week.
During milking
Log litres per cow or for the whole session. Note any cow that is off her feed or showing heat while she is in front of you.
Mid-morning stock work
Record inseminations with the sire and straw used, treatments with the product and dose, and vaccinations given. Withdrawal and due dates are calculated instantly.
Feeding
Feed the planned ration or a custom mix. Stock levels drop automatically and the feed cost lands against the group that ate it.
Evening review
Check the milk trend, today's income and expenses, and tomorrow's tasks. Owners who are off farm get the same picture in a daily email summary.
— Options compared
Dairy management software vs spreadsheets vs paper
There is no single right tool for every farm. This is how the three common approaches compare on the jobs that matter most.
| Job | Paper notebook | Spreadsheet | DairyLogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-cow milk history | Hard to total | Possible, manual formulas | Automatic per cow and per session |
| Heat, breeding and calving reminders | None | None without macros | Built-in task list and alerts |
| Milk withdrawal after treatment | Relies on memory | Manual date maths | Calculated and flagged on the cow |
| Several people recording | One book, one place | Version conflicts | Shared, with roles and permissions |
| Cost per litre and IOFC | Not practical | Separate workbook | Reports from the same records |
| Works from the parlour | Yes | Rarely | Yes, in any phone browser |
| Cost | Almost free | Free | Free to 10 animals, then from $10/month |
Dairies running parlour automation, activity collars or in-line milk meters can keep the hardware vendor's software for those devices. DairyLogs covers the management, breeding, health and money side that those systems often leave to spreadsheets.
— Buyer's guide
How to choose the best dairy management software: 8 questions
The best dairy management software is the one your whole team will actually use. Ask these questions before you commit to any system, including ours.
Can milkers record in under a minute?
If data entry is slow, it stops happening. Test the milk and heat screens on a phone, with gloves on, before you test the reports.
Does it tell you what to do today?
Records are only half the value. Look for a daily task list built from breeding, health and calving dates.
Is milk connected to money?
Cost per litre and income over feed cost should come from the same records, not an export into another file.
Can you set your own breeding rules?
Gestation length, heat cycle, voluntary waiting period and dry-off timing differ by breed and system. They should be editable per farm.
Does it handle more than cows?
Many dairies also milk buffalo, goats or sheep. One system for every species beats several apps.
Can your team share it safely?
Roles and permissions let a milker log milk without seeing the bank balance, and let an adviser read reports without editing records.
How hard is it to start?
Importing an existing herd list from a spreadsheet should take minutes, not a consultant's visit.
Is the price clear before you sign up?
Look for published pricing and a free tier. DairyLogs is free for up to 10 animals and lists every paid plan on the pricing page.
— Sensible defaults
Dairy science built in, editable for your farm
DairyLogs starts with industry-standard reproduction defaults so dates are right from day one. Change any of them in farm settings.
- Days gestation (cattle default)
- 280
- Used for expected calving dates. Adjust per species in farm settings.
- Day heat cycle
- 21
- Drives the next-heat reminder after every observed or missed heat.
- Days dry before calving
- 60
- Dry-off reminders before each expected calving.
- Dairy species
- 5
- Cows, buffalo, goats, sheep and camels on one farm.
— Keep reading
Dairy herd management resources
— FAQ
Dairy management software questions
01What is a dairy herd management program?
A dairy herd management program is the routine a dairy runs for reproduction, milk, health, youngstock and feeding, plus the numbers you review those records against. DairyLogs keeps that routine on each cow — heats, treatments, withdrawals, dry-off and calving — and turns it into a daily task list, cost per litre and income over feed cost.
02What is dairy cow management software?
Dairy cow management software is the record for one cow: identity, lactation, breeding, treatments, milk and the dates that follow from them. Herd reports are built from those cow records. In DairyLogs both sit on the same profile, so a decision about one cow does not mean leaving the herd list.
03What is the best dairy management software?
The best dairy management software is quick to record in, works on a phone, connects herd records to money and scales with the operation. DairyLogs does all four: it is free to start with up to 10 animals, runs several farms under one login on Pro and above, and Custom plans set animal and farm limits for herds of any size.
04What is the difference between dairy herd management and dairy farm management software?
Dairy herd management software focuses on the animals — milk, breeding, calving and health. Dairy farm management software adds the business around them — feed stock, inventory, staff, customers and finance. DairyLogs does both in one system, so herd decisions and money decisions use the same records.
05Can dairy management software track individual cow milk yield?
Yes. In DairyLogs you can record litres per cow for each milking session or enter a bulk figure. Individual records show each cow's lactation trend and feed into cost per litre and income over feed cost reports.
06Does DairyLogs work on a phone?
Yes. DairyLogs runs in the browser on Android phones, iPhones, tablets and computers, so milkers can record at the parlour and managers can review reports in the office. There is nothing to install.
07Can I import my existing herd from Excel?
Yes. You can bulk-import animals from a CSV file exported from Excel or Google Sheets, then add breeding, health and milk records as you go.
08Is my farm data private?
Each farm's records are only visible to the people you invite, and roles and permissions control what each person can see or change. Read the privacy policy for full details.
Try dairy management software on your own herd
Add your first 10 animals free. No card, no install — log today's milk and see tomorrow's tasks in minutes.