What to Log in Your First 30 Days with Flock Steward
Watch: "What To Log In Your First 30 Days With Flock Steward"
The First 30 Days Set the Foundation
When you activate your Flock Steward subscription, you have a blank slate — and that's both exciting and a little overwhelming. What do you log first? What actually matters? What can wait?
The answer depends on your operation size, but the principle is the same for every flock keeper: the data you enter in your first 30 days becomes the baseline everything else is measured against. Your future egg production trends, health comparisons, and profitability calculations are only as good as the records you start with today.
Here's a practical 30-day logging guide for new Flock Steward users.
Week 1: Set Up Your Flock Profiles
Before you log a single egg, get your flock structure set up correctly. This is the foundation.
- Create your flock(s). If you have separate groups of birds (different breeds, age cohorts, or coops), create a separate flock profile for each. Mixing them into one flock makes your production data meaningless.
- Enter bird count per flock. Log exactly how many hens are in each group as of today.
- Record breed(s). This matters for expected production benchmarks — a Golden Comet flock should lay differently than a Black Copper Maran flock.
- Note approximate age or hatch date. Age drives expected production curves. Flock Steward uses this to contextualize your laying rates.
- Log your coop setup. Basic coop profile info — size, location, any lighting setup — gives context to production dips and spikes later.
Week 2: Establish Your Daily Egg Log Rhythm
By week two, daily egg collection logging should become a habit. Here's what to log every day:
- Total eggs collected by flock (not just overall — per flock if you have multiples)
- Any cracked, soft-shelled, or abnormal eggs — log these separately so they don't inflate your usable production numbers
- Collection time — morning vs. evening collections affect data consistency
After 7 days of consistent logging, Flock Steward will start generating your daily laying rate percentage — the single most useful number for monitoring flock health and productivity. A healthy laying flock of peak-age hens should be at 70–90% depending on breed.
Week 3: Log Feed and Inputs
Production data without feed data is incomplete. In week three, add your input tracking:
- Current feed type and brand — layer pellet, crumble, or mash; protein percentage; any supplements
- Feed delivery log — when you refill feeders and approximately how much
- Any treats, scratch, or fermented feed — these affect production and should be noted
- Water source and any additives (apple cider vinegar, electrolytes, probiotics)
On the Producer and Commercial plans, you can also set feed delivery reminders so Flock Steward alerts you when it's time to reorder based on your consumption patterns.
Week 4: Log Health Events and Observations
By week four you'll have two full weeks of production data and a feel for your flock's normal rhythm. Now add health context:
- Any birds showing abnormal behavior — lethargy, isolation, labored breathing, unusual droppings
- Parasite checks — note any mite, lice, or worm treatment or prevention applied
- Molt status — are any birds in molt? This explains production dips and should be documented
- Vaccination history — if you have records, log what vaccines your flock received and when
- Any mortality — log date, bird description, and suspected cause if known
On the Producer plan, you can also begin logging individual banded bird data — useful if you're tracking specific high-producers or breeding candidates.
End of Month 1: Your Baseline Is Set
After 30 days of consistent logging, you'll have:
- A flock production baseline (your average daily laying rate)
- Feed consumption patterns
- An initial health record
- Seasonal context (weather, daylight hours) paired with your production data
From here, Flock Steward's analytics start getting genuinely useful. You'll be able to spot production dips before they become problems, correlate feed changes with laying rate shifts, and have the documentation foundation that protects your egg sales operation.
Get Started Today
Flock Steward plans start at $9/month for the Starter plan (up to 50 birds) and scale up through Grower, Producer, and Commercial tiers for larger operations. Access is instant upon activation.