“Where do I start?!” can seem very daunting at first glance. We offer several approaches below.
The Bulk Entry Way
For those already using other programs or spreadsheets.
Your data may be able to be imported directly into the program. Please read Importing Animal Data.
The Manual Entry Way
For those with no importable data.
Please read the rest of this page to consider the best route for you. And always bear in mind that:
- not every piece of data has to be entered at once,
- you can come back at any time to fill in gaps, and
- it's a lot easier when you take baby steps!
Small Herd or Large Herd?
If you have ten to twenty animals and wish to enter every possible detail for every single one, we say “just do it”. Set aside an hour or two, grab a cuppa, put some music on, and the time will fly. Once done, it will take but minutes a day to keep AotG up to date.
If you wish to record lineage, it's worth doing this as you go, but please read How to Construct a Pedigree first for best use of your time!
You may feel overwhelmed with a larger herd, but don’t be! Take baby steps and break the data entry into chunks. Time yourself entering one animal, and from that estimate how many you could enter in, say, 30 or 60 minute blocks. You may surprise yourself at how many you can get through, and also bear in mind that you will likely get faster and faster the more familiar you become with the fields and their order.
But how to best enter an animal in the first place? Look at the fields available in The General Tab. Do you want to add just enough basic information to begin using AotG right away, or do you prefer your records to be comprehensive and complete from the outset? A few suggestions follow.
Please read How to Construct a Pedigree for the absolute best way to enter pedigrees, regardless of herd size.
Please read that first before beginning any data entry that requires pedigrees!
The Quick and Dirty Manual Way
Best for commercial herds with no breeding animals.
The absolute quickest way to enter animals is to enter an Identifier for each animal only. This is all AotG needs to function. Enter this, click 
and the page reloads ready for you to enter another one right there and then. This is a great way to get started with the bare basics—once entered, assign those animals to groups, and you can manage your herd right away.
Remember: you can come back at any time to enter more details as you need them.
The Almost as Quick and Dirty Manual Way
Best for herds with breeding animals.
Slower than the first way, which you can still do, but the extra bit of time spent here will pay dividends immediately. This method assumes you wish to concentrate—for now—on entering just enough information to get on with managing your herd.
If you wish to enter lineage as you go, please read How to Construct a Pedigree first before beginning any lineage entries—it will save a bunch of time!
As a bare minimum, we recommend the following just to get started quickly:
- tick the In Herd box (assuming the animal is physically in your herd and/or in your care if agisting/boarding others’ animals)
- assign an Identifier
- specify the phenotype
- specify the sex
- specify the coat pattern and colour(s)
- specify the date of birth (DOB)
If you click at this point, the record will save and the page will reload ready for the next animal. Otherwise, click The Pedigree Tab first to enter sire and dam as well, then click . Please read How to Construct a Pedigree first before doing this.
Remember: you can come back at any time to enter more details as you need them.
Come Back at Any Time to Fill in the Gaps
For all users.
AotG is firstly a herd management program, and secondly a (private) breed register. And this is how you’ll find yourself using the program—primarily for herd management and tracking regular and ongoing activities such as husbandry, matings, births, shearing, and show results.
Still important, but less relevant in day-to-day management of animals, is the use of AotG as a breed register, ie using the program to record information such as DOB, pedigree/lineage, coat patterns and coat colours. These are details you usually enter once as they never change (unless to correct mistakes).
It’s fair to say that in terms of priority in getting AotG up and running, recording every single aspect of every single animal isn't as important as simply gettting the whole herd into the program for immediate management benefits. You can come back at any time to fill in gaps as the need arises. Set aside a half hour each day and you’ll be surprised as to just how much detail you can fill in!
Once Up and Running
This is for everyone!
AotG is a tool and can only be useful if it is used. It is so important to always be on top of your record-keeping. Putting things off just means there will be even more to do later. Some times of year will be busier than others—birthing comes to mind! Enter those cria in full detail the day they are born and you’ll never fall behind! Use slower periods in the year to fill in the gaps in older data perhaps.
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