Livestock, Small Animal and Horse Record Book Tips

These e-records are available to you in two ways: online (EXCEL), or on paper (PDF).  Updated e-record books are available at the State Colorado 4-H website. Supplements are within the project e-record for those that require supplements.  You may elect to receive all records for your projects from the Extension office or via your club leader at the appropriate costs. You will need to fill out an e-record for each project.

Start Now

Your record book is just that, a record of this year’s work with a particular project. Fill out as much of the record as you can, as soon as you can.  DO NOT WAIT TO DO YOUR RECORD BOOK AT THE LAST MINUTE.

The e-record is available to you in two ways: online (EXCEL) or on paper (PDF).  Whatever method you use to obtain your record book, it is acceptable to do them by handwritten or on typed on your computer.

Updated record books are available to be downloaded from the Colorado 4-H website. Please make sure you download the proper e-record book for:

• The appropriate record book for Junior (ages 8-10), Intermediate (11-13), and Senior (14 years and older) members
• The Livestock and Horse E-Record User’s Guide (Soon to be available)
• Individual record book pages, if needed and
• Breeding supplements (for those with breeding projects)

Keep multiple livestock projects in one record book!  Several sections in the record book have columns for  separate projects.  This is intended to distinguish species (i.e. market swine, breeding beef, etc.) and should not be used for individual animals of the same species.

Since we have a separate horse record book it cannot be used with other livestock, so a separate livestock record book will need to be completed.

Parts of the record book you can do now!

Start now!  Several parts of the record book can be done even if you do not have your animal project!  Be sure to read the headings of each record book section, they will help you complete the record book.  Remember, these are new record books this year and some sections have changed.

This is the easiest page in the record book!  Check the box next to the project(s) you are taking (what species and if it is a market or breeding project) and indicate how many years you have taken that project, including the current year.  Fill in your name, 4-H club, county, birth date and age as of December 31, 2025. 

The Project Agreement should be completed and signed at the start of the project year.  It is stating that you agree to be responsible for the management of your animal and for keeping good records.  Your parents’ signature indicates that they are willing to help give guidance and instruction when needed. Make certain you sign the Project Agreement now before you begin your project.

Your goals should be “life skill” oriented.  In other words, what skills do you feel are important that can be learned or improved on from taking this project this year?  This could include things like decision making, record keeping, how to use a computer, money management and many others.  Do not write one or two words, use a complete sentence.  Record book talks about smart goals, refer to the Record Book guide for assistance if needed.

 Junior members need to just answer the questions; Intermediate members need one goal; and Senior members need two goals.

Inventory

The inventory section has been divided into two sections; Animal Inventory and Equipment Inventory

Animal Inventory

As your project begins, record the animals that you have at the START of your project.  Be certain to write the animal value down in the second column and again in the project column that you entered.  Then you need to record the animals that you have at the END of your project.  Junior record book does not have the project columns.

Remember, for first year members, the project START  is the first day you enroll in 4-H.  For returning members, the project START is the first day of the 4-H year, October 1.  The END is September 30.

Equipment Inventory

For Intermediates and Seniors there are two parts to your inventory; Beginning and Ending.  For Juniors there is only an inventory of items they have acquired during the project.  This section is for items such as equipment, tools, trailers, and facilities used for your project.  The Beginning Inventory should be completed at the start of the project year.  For  members re-enrolling in 4-H, your project year started on October 1, 2025.  For new members, your project year starts the day you enroll in 4-H.  The beginning  inventory is a record of any items (related to your project) or animals that you have on hand the first day  of your project year and their value.  (Other items or animals that you purchase during the project year will be listed on your expense pages.)  For example, if you already have one brush, two halters, and one feed pan at the start of the year, you could list those items as follows:

Be sure to list the date your project year started.  Also, make sure you total the value of your Beginning Inventory.  In the above example, the total value would be $43.00.  You only need one inventory page, even  if you have multiple projects; it is not project specific.

In the Animal Purchase record you should enter the cost of all project animals that you purchased during the project year. Any project animals that you have on-hand at the start of the project year should be listed in your beginning  inventory, not in this record. Even if you don’t actually buy and pay for your animal (i.e. gift from family member, catch-it animal, etc.) you should list its value in order to have an accurate picture of what your project is costing.

See below for an example of how this record should be filled out. It is preferable that you use a name or tag number of the animal so that it can be consistently tracked through out your record book. Multiple animals purchased the same day from the same seller can be listed together on one line.

As with other parts of the book that allow for multiple project listings, allocate your total cost to the proper project column. If you have multiple projects, be consistent and keep your projects listed in the same order on all pages. Even if you only have one project, you should carry the totals over into a project column.

You can make as many copies of this page as needed for your record. Be sure to total all columns prior to turning in your  record book.

The Health Record is where you record all treatments administered for the health of your animal.  This includes vaccinations, medication, and routine management practices such as dehorning, worming, fly control, tail docking, etc.  Feeds containing medication should be listed here as well.  It is preferred that you use a separate page for each project, but it is acceptable to list all projects on the same page.  Be certain to write down the name and phone number of your veterinarian where it specifies.  Below is an example of how you might fill out a health record.

Record all health related expenses such as veterinary/medical costs in this section.  Remember to include the items from your health record page that you purchase.  A cost must be in the total cost column as well as the project column that incurred that expense.

As the title implies, this page is used to record all feed related expenses. Examples of feed items include: grass hay, alfalfa hay, silage, grain, salt & mineral blocks, protein supplements, pasture rental, etc. Items should be listed in order by the date they were purchased. Use pounds when listing the amount of feed purchased (i.e. 2000 lbs instead of 1 ton; 700 lbs instead of 7 bales, etc.), and the total cost of the feed. Then, you should allocate that feed purchase, if appropriate, to your different projects using the four project columns, as shown in the example below. (Note: even if you only have one project, you should carry the totals over into a project column.)

Even if you don’t actually buy and pay for your feed (maybe it’s supplied by your parents or grandparents) you should list the amount of feed and its value in order to have an accurate picture of what your project is costing.

You can make as many copies of this page as needed for your record. Be sure to total all columns prior to turning in your record book.

Similar to the Feed Expense page in how you record your expenses, however this page is where you record all non-feed expenses.  This might include, for example, veterinary or medical expenses, show entry fees, equipment purchases, transportation expenses, pen or barn rent, brand inspection fees, identification fees (ear tags, etc.), riding lessons, sale commissions, etc.  Equipment that has been purchased in prior years should not be listed on this page.  Those items will be on your beginning inventory - which we’ll address in a future issue.  Here is an example of a Non-Feed Expense record (note that if you have multiple projects you should keep the projects listed in the same order on all pages):

You can make as many copies of this page as needed for your record.  Be sure to total all columns prior to turning in your record book.

The Income Record is where you record all income received during the project year resulting from your projects. It includes  sale of livestock, show premiums, sale of equipment, sale of  animal products (eggs, milk, meat, etc.), lessons given, etc. Any project animals that you have not sold by the end of the project year (breeding or market) should be listed in your ending inventory, not in this record.

Be sure to list the gross (total) selling price for the item or animal. If there are any costs associated with the sale, such as commission, they should be recorded as expenses in your Non-Feed Expense Record. Here’s an example of an Income Record that is properly filled out.

In this section, the Comparison of Market vs. Fair Prices record in the Livestock and Small Animal record book will be discussed.

Only Intermediate and Senior members need to complete this section. The Comparison of Market vs. Fair Prices record is not a part of the Junior member record book. Further, this section only needs to be filled out by market project members who sell an animal in a premium sale. A “premium” sale would be defined as a sale where you are paid more than the current market price for your animal. Many fairs and shows, including the Weld County Fair, offer a premium sale for champion or top placing animals. (In Weld County, it is called the Junior Livestock Sale.)

For those who sell their animal in a premium sale, this record helps you evaluate your project realistically and recognize the  benefits of selling an animal in this venue.

As an example, let’s assume that you sell a 250lb market hog for $600 at Weld County Fair, and a 1300lb market steer for  $2000 at Colorado State Fair. Also assume that the floor or market price (this is sometimes referred to as the “buy-back” price)  is $0.95/lb for beef and $0.45/lb for hogs. Using this scenario, your record would be filled out shown below:

This example clearly shows the economic benefits of premium sales. It helps the member recognize the market price of their  animals and the added value gained by being in premium sales.

The financial summary is the various totals of all your sections of the record book to help you decide whether you made a  profit or loss.  Just answer the questions and place the correct values in the right box.  Your total amounts need to go in the Total All Projects column and again under your project column.  Detailed directions are given on the right side of the page.  Follow the directions as each grade level is different.

The purpose of the market animal performance page is to help evaluate some key performance factors for your market animals. You must complete this page for each animal or group of animals that are fed alike.  Follow the directions as each age level is different.  Horse record books do not contain this page.

Depending on your age, you will be evaluating your animal’s:

• Average Daily Gain (Junior, Intermediate, and Senior project members)
• Feed Conversion (Intermediate and Senior project members)
• Cost per Pound of Gain (Senior project members)

Start by identifying the animal or group of animals that you are evaluating. Enter the first date you weighed the animal and what its beginning weight was. (Ideally, this will be the first day you have your project animal.) The next time you weigh the animal, enter the date, weight, and complete the rest of the columns. Here is an example:

You’ll note that the steer was first weighed on February 5th and weighed 800 pounds. That is the only information you need to enter when you first weigh your animal. The next time you weigh your animal you need to complete all columns. In this example,

• The second weight was taken on April 23rd,
• The steer weighed 1000 pounds,
• It gained 200 pounds since it was last weighed (1000 – 800),
• There were 77 days since it was last weighed (number of days from February 5 to April 22),
• It gained an average of 2.6 pounds per day (200 pounds gained/77 days)
• The steer was fed 1200 pounds of feed from February 5th to April 22nd. You can calculate the pounds of feed fed using information found on your Feed Change Record.
• It cost a total of $175.00 to feed the steer from February 5th to April 22nd. Use information on your Feed Expense Record and Feed Change Record to calculate this figure.
• It cost $0.88 for each pound that the steer gained (200 pounds gained/$175.00 cost of feed),
• It took six (6) pounds of feed to get one (1) pound of gain (1200 pounds of feed fed/200 pounds gained).

Each time you weigh your animal you will complete one row on the table. At the end of the project, be sure to add totals for the columns that are not shaded and complete any questions or calculations at the bottom of the page.

Look at the “Categories of Participation” and fill in the “Total this Year” and the “Description” of your activities. 

In the first section, write down the 4-H Projects that you completed, 4-H Workshops/Skill Activities/Contests in this project, Leadership Development in this project, Junior or Teen Leader. 

In the next section, write down your Citizenship/Community Service and your Demonstrations/Presentations/Speeches that you participated in.  Each one of those require a date, hours, activity and location.

4-H community service is a requirement in Weld County in order for your record book to be considered complete.  Every club plans at least one community service project annually and every member is required to participate in some way in  order to be a member in good standing. You must be a member in good standing in order to exhibit at the County Fair.

Community service projects should be service learning projects. This means that 4-H members participate in planning, implementing and celebrating the community service project.

The community service project needs to reach beyond family and friends.  Be sure to write down what your 4-H club community service project was and what you did, in order for your record book to be considered complete.

Your club leader reports your club community service activities to the 4-H Agent and also reports members who completed.

In addition to your required club community service project, we encourage 4-H members to do a project related community service. If you do, you should include this information in your record book as well.

Have you done a demonstration yet?  Remember, at least one demonstration is required to complete your 4-H year and remain a member in good standing!

It is very important to record your demonstrations in this section of the record book. We encourage 4-H members to do a project-related demonstration and would like to have one done for every project that a 4-H member enrolls in. We understand that this may not happen. If you do only one demonstration, make sure that you put it down in each of your project record books! The requirement is that a 4-H member does a demonstration. You will not be counted down for only doing one demonstration, but the judges may comment that they would have liked to have seen a project related demonstration.

Demonstrations are public presentations.  Members are encouraged to practice in front of family and friends but are required to do at least one public presentation. Your club may have specific requirements for the type of demonstration that you are to do. Check with your leader, they can help you prepare your demonstration. Remember to write down the title of your demonstration and who was there.

Project pictures need to be included in your record book, a minimum of four pictures (including captions).  The pictures are to show some progress with your project, do not only include various pictures from one or two days.  Some at the beginning, middle and ending.  Be sure to add captions, not just a couple pictures and nothing else.

Additional photos can be added.

Photos should be:

• Pictures of the 4-H member working on their project
• Pictures should tell the story of your project (meaning not all from the same day).
• Pictures can either be digital or glued on.
• Don’t forget to put captions on your pictures---gives for a better presentation

If you choose to use a digital camera, you will be able to insert the pictures on this page. There will be limited ability to format the picture but it will work. You will be able to put a caption near the picture.

Be selective when putting your photos in your record. Do not overcrowd your page with photos because it is hard to understand what you are trying to show.

ALWAYS INCLUDE CAPTIONS. IT MAKES THE PICTURES EASIER TO UNDERSTAND

The 4-H Story is one of the most important sections in your record book.  Many times it is used as a tie breaker if necessary.  You need to put some effort into this, do not just write a couple short paragraphs and call it a story.  Some suggested questions are included in the record book, use them in your story.  The judges really enjoy reading about your projects and what it took to complete your project. 

This may be the most important section of your record. The 4-H story can make or break a 4-H project. When a judge is looking for a way to break a tie in judging projects, they will go to the story and see which 4-H member has the best story.

Your story should:

• Be organized and well thought out
• Use correct grammar and punctuation
• Tell of the 4-H member’s experiences in the project
• Be a good place to discuss the progress toward the goals
• Include any interesting events whether good or bad.
• Story should be no more than two pages.

To help you get started with your story you can use the following questions:

• Why did you choose this project?
• Did you learn what you had hoped to learn?
• Did anyone help you?
• What did you like the best about your project?
• What would you do differently?
• How will you use what you learned this year to improve your  project next year?
• What results, difficulties or challenges did you have with this project?

Now that you have completed your project it is time to see if your SMART goals were met throughout the project year.  Be sure to share what made you successful in meeting your goals and then what you could have done differently to reach those goals completely, if needed.  This can also serve as a way to set yourself up for new goals for the next 4-H year and know what your strengths are moving forward.  You will want to explain your goals in detail and reflect on the end of the project.

In this section, we have offered guidance and tips for completing your e-record book.

Remember:

• Record all project related information in the activity log
• If your project requires a supplement or Specific Project Information page, enter the needed information.  Supplement or Specific Project Information pages are in the e-records. 
• Enter your demonstration and community service in the activity log
• Enter all of your expenses for your project and put a value on your finished project if applicable
• Evaluate how you did
• Provide pictures of you working on your project
• Create a good story
• Place record and required items in a sturdy binder
• BACK UP YOUR 4-H E-RECORDS!!!