Livestock Numbers

The Numbers tab is where you keep a running tally of how many head you have on each property, broken down by livestock class. It's the foundation of everything else in BlackCow — reports, DSE calculations, and the herd audit trail all draw from this data.

On this page

Setting numbers per farm
Livestock classes explained
Why numbers matter
Herd audit trail
Updating your numbers

Setting numbers per farm

If you run cattle on more than one property, BlackCow tracks numbers separately for each farm. At the top of the Numbers tab you'll see a tab for each farm (for example, Jilliby and Cooks). Click the farm name to switch between them.

Each farm has its own set of livestock class totals, so a mob of yearling steers at Jilliby is counted separately from yearling steers at Cooks.

Livestock classes explained

BlackCow uses the following standard livestock classes. These match the categories used in DSE tables and livestock reporting:

Class	What it means
Cows	Breeding females — cows that have calved at least once
Calves	This year's calves, running at foot with their mothers
Yearling Steers	Castrated males 1–2 years old
Yearling Heifers	Females 1–2 years old not yet joined to a bull
Weaner Steers	Recently weaned castrated males (typically 6–10 months)
Weaner Heifers	Recently weaned females (typically 6–10 months)

If you have classes that don't fit neatly — bulls, for example — they are tracked separately in the Bulls section of Setup. Running bulls are not included in the livestock numbers here.

Why numbers matter

Keeping accurate stock numbers unlocked several things in BlackCow:

Herd report: The Reports → Herd tab charts your total head count over time, so you can see whether your herd is growing, stable, or declining season to season.
DSE calculations: Dry sheep equivalents are a standard measure of how much pasture your stock is consuming. BlackCow uses your livestock class numbers to estimate total DSE loading per farm, which helps you plan stocking rates and agistment decisions.
Calving percentage: The Calving report compares your calf numbers against your cow numbers to give a calving percentage. This only works if your cows and calves are kept up to date.
Sale records context: When you record a sale, it's linked to a livestock class. If your numbers are up to date, you'll immediately see the impact of a sale on your remaining herd in the Herd report.

Herd audit trail

Every time you change a number in the Numbers tab and save it, BlackCow creates an audit log entry. This means you have a full history of every change — what number it changed from, what it changed to, who made the change, and when.

You can view this history in Reports → Herd. The audit trail is automatic — you don't need to do anything special to enable it.

Note The audit trail records the saved total for each class, not the individual animals. So if you update "Yearling Steers" from 45 to 52, the log records that change. It doesn't record which specific animals were added.

Updating your numbers

Open the Numbers tab and select the correct farm at the top.
Tap the number next to the livestock class you want to update. A text field will appear.
Type the new total and press Save (or tap outside the field on mobile).
A confirmation message will appear briefly. The change is saved immediately.

Tip Update your numbers after every significant mob movement — weaning, selling, or receiving stock. The more current your numbers, the more accurate your reports will be.