In IdeasFarm, groups are predefined categories that allow classifying animals by age, weight, productive or reproductive status.

These groups come predefined in the platform, and users can configure their parameters to fit their herd reality.

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🐄 Predefined Groups for Females

Default Name	Description	Configurable Parameters
Initial (Calves)	Heifers from birth until weaning day.	Weaning age (in days) and average birth weight.
Growth (Weaned Calves)	Young females from weaning until classified as heifers ready for breeding.	Maximum age in months to change group.
Heifers	Young cows ready for their first service, meeting target age and weight.	Minimum weight for first service, target age for first service, reproductive check prior, daily weight gain goal.
Milking Herd	Cows in milk production after parturition.	Days post-colostrum to start milking, post-partum rest, rest before first service, max production days, dry days before parturition, open days for culling, number of services for culling, minimum production for drying off.
Dry Cows	Cows or heifers not in production but have gone through reproductive process.	Group name only (customizable).
Transition Cows	Cows or heifers in final gestation stage.	Days before parturition to enter group.

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🐂 Predefined Groups for Males

Default Name	Description	Configurable Parameters
Initial (Bull Calves)	Male calves from birth until weaning.	Weaning age (in days) and average birth weight.
Growth (Weaned Bull Calves)	Young males post-weaning until classified as young bulls.	Target weight to change group, maximum age in months for change, daily weight gain target.
Breeding	Bulls or young bulls intended for breeding.	Minimum age in months for first mount.
Steers	Bulls or young bulls intended for meat production.	Target weight for commercialization.

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Initial values: Groups come with default parameters but it’s recommended to review and adjust them to your production system.
Relation between groups:
- Automatic change by recorded action:
  - Initial → Growth: Requires registering weaning date.
  - Heifers → Milking Herd: Requires registering a parturition.
  - Milking Herd → Dry: Requires registering end of production (drying).
- Manual change (no recorded action):
  - Dry → Transition
  - Any other change not associated with an event recorded in the system.
Physical-system synchronization: Both on-field and in IdeasFarm, moving animals between groups must be done in parallel to keep information updated and consistent.
Suggested dates: IdeasFarm calculates and suggests group change dates according to the configured protocol, but will not perform changes without required action.
Use in reports: Group classification is key for growth, reproduction, and production analysis.
Controlled automation: Proper parameter adjustment allows the system to notify when to make changes, avoiding unnecessary or untimely moves.