Two Scales of Animal Management

Animal management exists at two fundamentally different scales. Sometimes you need detailed individual tracking—every health observation, every treatment, every weight measurement for specific animals. Other times you need efficient population management—overall counts, group health trends, collective movements for herds, flocks, or wildlife populations.

Most software forces you to choose one approach or the other. Kora recognizes that you often need both, sometimes simultaneously, and provides a dual-tier system that lets you work at either scale—or both at once.

The Two Tiers

Tier 1: Individual Animals (Detailed Tracking)

Individual animal records provide complete, lifetime documentation for specific animals that require detailed attention.

Each individual animal has:

• Unique identification - RFID tags, ear tags, microchips, names/aliases
• Complete health history - Every observation, treatment, vaccination, and medical intervention
• Detailed demographics - Exact birth date, age, sex, breed
• Weight tracking - Individual weight measurements over time with growth trends
• Reproductive records - Breeding history, pregnancies, offspring
• Movement history - Complete record of every location change
• Feeding schedules - Individual dietary requirements and feeding records
• Treatment plans - Scheduled medical care with automatic reminders
• Status tracking - Quarantine status, pregnancy, follow-up requirements
• Traceability chain - Complete lifetime audit trail from birth through every significant event

When to use individual tracking:

✓ Breeding stock - Animals selected for reproduction requiring genetic documentation and pedigree records

✓ High-value animals - Expensive or rare animals where detailed records protect investment

✓ Endangered species - Conservation programs requiring precise individual monitoring and genetic management

✓ Clinical patients - Animals receiving veterinary care requiring detailed medical documentation

✓ Show animals - Competition animals requiring performance records and health certificates

✓ Dairy production - Individual cows with specific production histories and breeding records

✓ Research animals - Animals in studies requiring precise individual data collection

✓ Companion animals - Pets and individual animals with special relationships to owners

✓ Tagged wildlife - Collared or marked wild animals being tracked for research or conservation

✓ Regulatory requirements - Animals requiring individual traceability for export, certification, or compliance

Example - Individual Tracking:

Animal: Daisy (Cow #405)
RFID: 982-000-123-456-789
Breed: Holstein-Friesian
Born: March 15, 2022 (3 years old)
Sex: Female
Status: Pregnant (due May 2025), currently in South Paddock

Recent History:
- March 1, 2025: Weight 650 kg (up from 640 kg in February)
- February 20, 2025: Veterinary observation - healthy pregnancy, due May 15
- February 15, 2025: Moved from North Paddock to South Paddock (better grazing)
- January 10, 2025: Treated for minor hoof infection (resolved)

Lifetime Production:
- First calving: March 2023
- Second calving: April 2024
- Current pregnancy: Third calf, due May 2025
- Average milk production: 25 liters/day

Complete traceability chain with 47 events from birth to present

Tier 2: Animal Mobs (Group Management)

Animal mobs (also called groups or populations) provide efficient management for animals tracked collectively rather than individually.

Each mob tracks:

• Population count - Total number of animals in the group
• Demographics - Males, females, juveniles, adults (counts and percentages)
• Age information - Average age, age range (minimum to maximum)
• Weight data - Average weight, weight range based on sample measurements
• Group health status - Overall health trends, percentage affected by conditions
• Location - Where the group is currently located
• Management context - Livestock, wildlife, conservation, or production focus
• Production metrics - For commercial operations (milk, eggs, wool, meat)
• Conservation status - For wildlife populations

Mob-specific management:

• Population changes - Births, deaths, purchases, sales, transfers documented with reasons
• Mob observations - Health assessments applied to the group (e.g., "80% of herd in excellent condition")
• Mob treatments - Medications administered to entire groups with coverage percentage
• Mob movements - Group relocated together between locations or subdivisions
• Mob feeding - Collective feeding schedules and consumption tracking
• Splits - Dividing one group into two separate mobs
• Merges - Combining multiple mobs into a single group

When to use mob tracking:

✓ Commercial livestock - Large herds managed for production where individual tracking is impractical (500 head of cattle, 2,000 chickens)

✓ Wildlife populations - Wild animal groups where individual identification is impossible or unnecessary

✓ Production flocks - Poultry, sheep, or goats managed primarily for production rather than breeding

✓ Fish populations - Aquaculture or aquarium populations counted in groups

✓ Seasonal grazing herds - Animals managed collectively through rotational grazing

✓ Market animals - Animals being raised for sale rather than kept long-term

✓ Juveniles before selection - Young animals not yet chosen for individual tracking

✓ Conservation populations - Wildlife monitoring where census counts are more practical than individual tracking

Example - Mob Tracking:

Mob: South Herd Cattle
Type: Cattle (Beef production)
Count: 245 animals
Demographics:
  - 120 females (49%)
  - 115 males (47%)
  - 10 juveniles (4%)
  - 235 adults (96%)

Age: Average 4.2 years (range 6 months to 9 years)
Weight: Average 520 kg (range 180-780 kg based on sample of 50 animals)

Location: South Paddock (since Feb 15, 2025)
Management: Livestock - Beef Production
Health Status: Good - last assessment Feb 28, 2025

Recent Population Changes:
- Feb 20, 2025: 5 calves born (245 from 240)
- Feb 1, 2025: 12 animals sold to market (240 from 252)
- Jan 15, 2025: 3 deaths due to natural causes (252 from 255)

Recent Activities:
- March 1: Deworming treatment applied to entire herd
- Feb 15: Moved from North Pasture to South Paddock for rotational grazing
- Feb 1: Group health assessment - 95% in good condition, 5% requiring follow-up

The Flexibility: Moving Between Tiers

One of Kora's most powerful features is that individual and mob tracking aren't mutually exclusive—you can use both simultaneously and move animals between them.

Managing Mixed Tracking

You might manage:

• 200 commercial beef cattle as a mob (efficient population tracking)
• 20 breeding cows as individuals (detailed genetic and production records)
• 5 bulls as individuals (critical breeding stock requiring precise records)

All within the same operation, even in the same paddock.

Promoting Animals from Mob to Individual

When an animal in a mob requires individual attention, you can promote it:

Scenario 1 - Medical Attention: A sheep in a 300-animal commercial flock develops a chronic health condition requiring ongoing treatment.

• Create an individual record for that sheep
• Remove one animal from the mob count (300 → 299)
• Track treatments, observations, and recovery individually
• When recovered and healthy, optionally return to mob tracking

Scenario 2 - Breeding Selection: A young bull in a commercial herd shows exceptional traits for breeding.

• Promote to individual tracking
• Document genetics, growth rates, and characteristics
• Remove from mob count
• Maintain detailed breeding records going forward

Scenario 3 - Wildlife Research: A GPS collar is placed on one elephant in a 50-animal herd.

• Create individual record for the collared elephant
• Track GPS locations, behavior, and health individually
• The rest of the herd remains tracked as a mob
• Maintain both individual and population-level data

Demoting Animals from Individual to Mob

When detailed tracking is no longer necessary, you can demote individuals to mob management:

Scenario 1 - Post-Treatment: An animal recovered from injury no longer needs individual monitoring.

• Add the animal back to the appropriate mob
• Increase mob count by one
• Historical individual records remain permanently available
• Future tracking happens at group level

Scenario 2 - Market Preparation: Individual tracking for animals being prepared for sale.

• Young stock raised with individual records
• When selected for market, demote to "Market Herd" mob
• Reduces individual tracking overhead while maintaining basic population counts

Splitting Mobs

Divide one mob into two separate groups:

Example - Pasture Rotation:

Original: North Herd (500 cattle)
Split into:
  - East Pasture Herd (250 cattle - females and calves)
  - West Pasture Herd (250 cattle - males and juveniles)

Reason: Rotational grazing management
Demographics tracked: 240 females → East, 10 juveniles → East
                     240 males → West, 10 juveniles → West

Example - Wildlife Management:

Original: Main Elephant Population (60 elephants)
Split into:
  - Northern Territory Group (35 elephants)
  - Southern Territory Group (25 elephants)

Reason: Seasonal migration, different habitat zones

Merging Mobs

Combine two or more mobs into a single group:

Example - Consolidation:

Mob A: West Paddock Sheep (150 animals)
Mob B: East Paddock Sheep (180 animals)
Merge into: Main Flock (330 animals)

Reason: End of seasonal separation, combined winter management
Location: Winter Pasture

Population Change Tracking

For mobs, Kora maintains detailed population change history:

Change Types:

• Births - Natural increase in population
• Deaths - Natural mortality, predation, disease
• Purchases - Animals acquired from external sources
• Sales - Animals sold to buyers
• Transfers - Movement between your own mobs or locations
• Escapes - Wildlife or livestock that left the managed area
• Captures - Wildlife brought into managed population
• Releases - Animals released to the wild (conservation programs)

Each change documents:

• Previous count → New count
• Number and demographics changed (males, females, juveniles, adults)
• Date and reason
• Notes providing context

Example Population History:

March 1, 2025: 245 animals (from 240) - Reason: 5 calves born
  Adults: 230 → 235, Juveniles: 10 → 10

Feb 1, 2025: 240 animals (from 252) - Reason: 12 animals sold to market
  Males: 127 → 115, Adults: 247 → 235

Jan 15, 2025: 252 animals (from 255) - Reason: 3 deaths (natural causes)
  Females: 123 → 120, Adults: 250 → 247

Dec 10, 2024: 255 animals (from 230) - Reason: 25 animals purchased
  Males: 102 → 127, Adults: 225 → 250

This creates a complete population trajectory over time, critical for:

• Production planning and forecasting
• Conservation population monitoring
• Wildlife census validation
• Regulatory compliance (livestock traceability)
• Financial accounting (cost of animals, sales revenue)

Real-World Examples Across Contexts

Dairy Farm (Mixed Individual + Mob)

Individual tracking:

• 60 milking cows (production records, breeding history, health tracking)
• 10 bulls (breeding stock with genetic documentation)
• 5 animals under veterinary care (detailed treatment records)

Mob tracking:

• 40 heifers (young females before first calving)
• 30 calves (juveniles being raised)
• 25 dry cows (between lactations, less detailed tracking needed)

Benefit: Detailed attention where it matters (producing animals, breeding stock) while efficiently managing non-producing populations.

Wildlife Conservation (Primary Mob, Selected Individuals)

Mob tracking:

• 350 wildebeest population in Northern Territory
• 45 zebra in Southern Territory
• 120 impala across three territories

Individual tracking:

• 8 GPS-collared elephants (movement research)
• 3 rehabilitated lions released with monitoring
• 12 endangered rhinos (complete individual histories)

Benefit: Population-level monitoring for abundant species, detailed tracking for endangered or research animals.

Zoo (Primary Individual, Selected Mobs)

Individual tracking:

• 400+ animals across 80 species (most zoo animals tracked individually)
• Complete medical records, enrichment documentation, behavioral observations
• Breeding program participation with genetic data

Mob tracking:

• 150 fish in the reef tank (counted collectively)
• 40 penguins in the colony (some individual tracking, mob for overall population health)
• 60 flamingos in the exhibit (census counts, selected individuals with detailed records)

Benefit: Individual care for most species while efficiently managing large colonies or aquatic populations.

Commercial Poultry (Primary Mob, Health Monitoring)

Mob tracking:

• 5,000 laying hens in Barn A
• 5,000 laying hens in Barn B
• 3,000 young pullets in Rearing Barn

Limited individual tracking:

• Sample birds selected for weight monitoring and health assessment
• Any sick bird receiving treatment promoted to individual tracking temporarily

Benefit: Efficient management of large populations with ability to track specific birds when health issues arise.

Aquaculture (Mob-Heavy, Sample Individuals)

Mob tracking:

• 50,000 salmon in Net Pen 1 (estimated count)
• 50,000 salmon in Net Pen 2
• 30,000 fingerlings in Rearing Tank

Individual/Sample tracking:

• 50 tagged fish monitored for growth rates (sample population)
• Broodstock with complete reproductive records (breeding program)

Benefit: Practical population management with scientific sampling for health and growth monitoring.

Heritage Breed Conservation Farm (Primary Individual)

Individual tracking:

• 30 rare breed cattle (complete pedigrees, genetic diversity management)
• 45 heritage pigs (breeding program coordination)
• 60 endangered chickens (studbook management)

Mob tracking:

• 100 commercial layers (income generation to support conservation)
• 50 market broilers (short-term production)

Benefit: Intensive individual management for conservation genetics, efficient mob tracking for supporting commercial operations.

Why the Dual-Tier System Matters

Practical Efficiency

Track thousands of animals efficiently while maintaining detailed records for critical individuals. You don't waste time recording individual weights for every chicken in a 5,000-bird flock, but you can closely monitor your 20 breeding cows.

Flexibility

Your management needs change over time. Animals requiring individual attention today (sick, pregnant, being studied) can return to group management when circumstances change.

Economic Viability

Individual tracking has overhead (time, data entry, complexity). Apply it where it provides value (breeding stock, high-value animals, regulatory requirements) and use mob tracking where population-level data suffices.

Conservation Applications

Wildlife conservation often needs both: population censuses for monitoring trends (mob tracking) plus detailed individual data for specific animals (GPS-collared, rehabilitated, or critically endangered individuals).

Regulatory Flexibility

Some regulatory frameworks require individual traceability (export animals, breeding stock), while others accept population-level documentation (domestic sales, wildlife census). The dual-tier system adapts to different compliance requirements.

Data Quality

Collect detailed data where you can (individuals) and population estimates where that's more practical (mobs), rather than forcing unrealistic individual tracking that leads to incomplete or inaccurate records.

Key Differences Between Individual and Mob Tracking

Best Practices

Start with What You Need Now

Don't over-complicate. If mob tracking meets your current needs, start there. Promote animals to individual tracking when circumstances require it.

Be Strategic About Individual Tracking

Individual tracking requires more work. Use it for animals where detailed records provide clear value:

• Legal or regulatory requirements
• Economic value justifies the effort
• Health or welfare needs demand close monitoring
• Breeding programs require genetic documentation
• Research objectives need precise data

Use Mobs for Efficiency

When animals are essentially interchangeable (commercial production, young stock before selection, wildlife populations), mob tracking prevents data overwhelm while maintaining useful population information.

Maintain Flexibility

Don't lock yourself into one approach. An animal sick today might return to the mob when healthy. A mob might get split when management needs change.

Document Population Changes

For mobs, consistently document why counts change (births, deaths, sales, purchases). This creates a reliable population history essential for planning and compliance.