Flock Keeper Book- Let's Make A Thing!

This is where things usually go wrong. I have an idea, it's a really good one, I know that it is, and then... nothing. I never go through with it. It's not so bad as it seems, until I forget to write it down.


So I've got this idea. It's really a multipurpose thing. I got the idea to create a folder to keep up with my flock. Their age, their laying habits as a whole, their health and any illnesses they may have in their lives, hatching information. All kinds of stuff. The great thing is, you don't just have to use it for small flocks. It could easily be adapted for larger flocks! In fact, it could really be used for anything.

What You Need:
1. A Binder: preferably a big one. I'm currently using a small one that I had laying around.
2. Dividers: I'm using sheet protectors since I had them laying around. I'll get to some extra stuff on this shortly.
3. Paper: I'm using plain notebook paper. More on this later
4. Any photos or magazine pages/clippings you want to add in.

The Binder

Ideally you'd use a big three ring binder with plenty of room to add things. Since I already had a half inch binder laying around, I'll use it until I run out of space. If you don't plan on writing much more than identification on your birds, you could even use a regular folder. You could also go a step further and turn it into a scrapbook!

I plan to keep up with everything I possibly can to better help my birds and future buyers. It's always good to have their life information on hand just in case you need it.

The Dividers

Like I said before, I'm just using sheet protectors since I had them laying around. I'll eventually put pictures or useful articles in them or even make cover photos for each section in my binder.

You can use Sheet protectors like I am, standard dividers, or anything else you'd like!

The Paper

Ok, this is the important part! Well, ok, everything listed so far is important, but this where all your information goes. I'm using collage rule notebook paper that was left over from school years ago. You could literally use anything you want. Just remember one thing, if you plan on going scrapbook with it, you should only use acid free paper.

Decoration
Ok, so this isn't necessary, but in all honesty I'd rather something I have to look at every day at least look pleasing to me. I'm bound to lose interest in something that looks plain rather than something I customized the way I like. You can use anything you want for this. I'm planning to use the pictures on my feed bags as decorations in my Flock Keeper.

Setting It All Up

There are endless ways to set up your Flock Keeper. I honestly haven't decided what I'm going to do just yet. You could create a layout for the pages in each section on a computer and then print and use a hole punch for your binder rings.

I just write the name of each bird at the top of separate pages. I can always go back and add more pages per bird later and that is the point behind using a binder. I have five sections in my binder so far. As I go along I may remove extra section I find I don't need.

Bonus: Sections

You could have sections for anything. Overall costs, hatching information, quarantine information and rotation, breeding information, laying information, and those are just a few things I can think of. You could color code it by groups. Just give each bird in a group the same color of zip tie or leg band and have sections in that same color dedicated to those birds.

Pictures and more information to come as I go along. Check back for more!