Which record keeping tech device do you use?

[ChickenChick46]

Stumbled across the thread and well… I just spent a few hours logging info on Flockstar. Seems like a solid app that will definitely help me keep track of who came from who.

I've only got 12 chicks, but they came from 3 different purchases. They're all young, so no eggs to track or anything yet. But I think it'll be a really handy app as they grow and I add to my flock.

 

[alwaystj9]

Fantastic idea! Unfortunately I have arms like a T Rex- not enough room for my too many notes…

You can write on the outside of your arms, too...

 

[Mother of Chaos]

"Let me explain... No, there is too much. Let me sum up" ~Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.

Sum Up: Does anyone keep an electronic device in their coop for record keeping (tablet, MacBook)? If so, do you have issues with the device being in a non climate-controlled environment? Is it even safe to keep an electronic device in a chicken coop (in Maryland where we get ALL the weathers- dry, humid, hot, cold) and of course dust?

Longer winded explanation: I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my records (Google Sheets so it's in the Cloud). However my spreadsheets are a little intense, some might say overcomplicated, and the struggle I have is that navigating the spreadsheet on my iPhone is limiting. I often find it easier to just put anecdotal information down on the Notes app, and then transfer that data at a later time to my laptop which lives in my house. The issue is the redundancy, and the fact that I have to remember to transfer the info when I have the memory of a goldfish. The result is a super long page of information on Notes, which is difficult to locate information, and I've missed out on time-sensitive things.

I cannot consistently remember to carry an item to (and from) the coop with me, so while carrying a tablet back and forth is a logical idea, it won't work for me consistently. Any device that can't fit in my pocket will frequently get left in the coop (assuming I even remembered to bring it out to the coop with me).

I've been toying with the idea of getting a device (thinking old iPad or cheap Chromebook type device) and letting it live in the chicken coop. I'm assuming the Google Sheets app will be easier to navigate on the larger device without being as cumbersome as a lap top. I have wifi and electric in my coop, but I worry what the extreme temps/humidity/dust could do to the device.

So this is pretty terrible in the tree-killing/ plastic overuse department (not really, just hyperbole) but still:

- print out your spreadsheet, enlarging the cells enough to write in, and containing maybe two week's worth of cells
- laminate the blank spreadsheet at a UPS Store or Fed-Ex Store
- buy a cheap clipboard that has a hole to hang it from a nail
- record your data with a dry-erase marker or old-fashioned grease pencil/ china marker
- periodically transfer the data over to your electronic device, wipe the laminated sheet clean, start again