How to edit multiple animals and manage stock classes
This article explains the new way stock classes work in the eShepherd web app, how to edit the details of one or several animals at once, and how to customise your stock classes. Each stock class now has its own colour and shape, making it easier to tell classes apart at a glance, especially in a mixed mob.
The new way stock classes work
Previously, a stock class was just a name you typed in. Stock class is now built automatically from the details you enter for each animal:
- Stock Type – the type of animal, such as Bulls, Steers, Heifers or Cows. If no stock type is set, the animal shows a plain green circle.
- Age – the animal's age group. Choose a class, or enter the age in months and the matching class is selected for you:
- R1/Weaner – under 12 months
- R2/Yearling – 12 to 23 months
- R3/2 Year+ – 24 months and over
- Pregnancy Status – Not Joined, Joined, Empty, In Calf or Calf at Foot.
The stock class name, colour and shape are set from these fields. For example, a heifer aged R1/Weaner becomes R1/Weaner Heifers with a light teal diamond. Pregnancy status changes the shade of the colour but is not shown in the name.
Once an age is entered, an estimated birth month is shown below it (for example, Born ~Mar 2026). The pregnancy date defaults to the date you enter the status.
Editing animal details
You can update the details of a single animal, or select several animals and update them all in one go instead of editing them one by one.
Step 1. Select Animals from the top navigation bar to open the Animals panel.
Step 2. Tick the checkbox next to each animal you want to update. You can select one animal or several at once.
Step 3. Tap the pencil edit icon in the bottom toolbar and select Edit Animal Details. The edit panel will open. If you selected more than one animal, they are listed at the top of the panel.
Step 4. Update the details you want to change, such as Stock Type, Age, Pregnancy and Weight. The Stock Class updates automatically as you go.
Step 5. Tap the tick to save. The tick is only available once you have made a change.
Managing stock classes
You can customise the colour, shape and name of each stock class in Manage Stock Classes. You can open it in two ways:
- In the Edit Animal Details panel, tap the gear icon next to Stock Class. A Manage Stock Classes tooltip appears when you hover over it.
- On the map, click the Animals icon in the map layers, then tap the gear icon next to Show colour as.
Step 1. Open Manage Stock Classes using one of the options above.
Step 2. The Manage Stock Classes panel will open. It lists every stock class grouped by stock type, then by age and pregnancy status, along with the number of head in each.
Step 3. To change a stock class, hover over a main stock class, such as Bulls or Steers, and tap the pencil edit icon that appears next to its name. The edit icon only shows on the main stock classes, not on the age or pregnancy groups within them (such as R1/Weaner or Joined).
Step 4. Choose a shape (circle, diamond or square) and a colour, and rename the stock class if you like. If you leave the name blank, the default name will be used.
Step 5. Tap the tick to save, or the cross to cancel. To go back to the default settings for a stock class, tap the reset icon on that row.
Showing stock class colours on the map
Each animal on the map always uses the shape of its stock class. To also show the stock class colour, click the Animals icon in the map layers and set Show colour as to Stock Class. To go back to mob colours, set it to Mob.
The letter under the Animals icon shows which option is on: M for Mob or S for Stock Class. To learn more, see How to use map layers.
Existing custom stock classes
If you created your own stock classes before this update:
- Stock classes that only describe the animal's sex have been changed to the new default names.
- Other custom stock classes still appear in the Stock Class dropdown and the Manage Stock Classes panel. You can still select them, but they can't be edited, only deleted.
- Custom stock classes with no animals assigned have been removed.
Summary
This guide covers how stock classes are now built from stock type, age and pregnancy status, how to edit one or several animals at once using Edit Animal Details, how to customise the colour, shape and name of your stock classes, how to show stock class colours on the map, and what happens to custom stock classes created before this update.
Related articles
Please contact your Customer Success Team if you have any further questions or requests.
Thank you,
eShepherd Team
v1.0, 10/2026
Tags: stock class, stock type, manage stock classes, edit animal details, edit multiple animals, bulk edit, age, R1, weaner, R2, yearling, R3, pregnancy status, joined, not joined, empty, in calf, calf at foot, shape, colour, circle, square, diamond, show colour as, mob colour, stock class colour, gear icon, reset, edit stock class, pencil icon
Updated on: 21/10/2026
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