Livestock Feed Calculator Widget
Help farmers budget feed for a group of animals. Choose an intake preset or enter dry-matter intake as a percentage of body weight, add the feed's moisture, herd size, days and price, and get kilograms or pounds per head per day, tonnes for the period and cost per head per day.
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<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/livestock-feed-calculator" title="Livestock Feed Calculator by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="720" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
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<div data-a2z-widget="livestock-feed-calculator" data-height="720"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed.js"></script>
Adds a small script (what it does) that sizes the widget to fit its content, loads it lazily and keeps it isolated from your page's CSS.
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How it works
Ration planning starts with dry matter (DM), because water in feed carries no nutrients. Daily DM intake is body weight multiplied by an intake percentage. Presets come from the Merck Veterinary Manual: cattle on full feed in a feedlot eat about 2.0-2.3% of body weight as DM (2.15% used), horses 2-2.5% (2.25% used), and Merck's dairy feeding table lists 29.4 kg DM for a 725 kg cow in mid-lactation (4.05%). A custom percentage covers everything else. As-fed weight is the DM divided by the feed's dry share: 15 kg of DM fed as 65%-moisture silage is 15 / 0.35 = 42.9 kg. Multiplying by the number of animals and days gives the quantity to store or buy, and a price per as-fed tonne (or 2,000-lb ton) gives the cost per head per day and for the period.
Calculation method
- DM intake per head per day = body weight x DMI % / 100
- As-fed per head per day = DM intake / (1 - moisture % / 100)
- Period totals = per-head figures x head x days
- Cost per head per day = as-fed kg / 1,000 x price per tonne (imperial: per 2,000-lb ton)
Worked examples
Beef cows on silage
Inputs: 600 kg; custom 2.5% DMI; 65% moisture; 50 head; 30 days; 40 per tonne
Result: 64.29 t as fed; 42.9 kg per head per day; 15 kg DM; 1.71 per head per day
600 x 0.025 = 15 kg DM; / 0.35 = 42.86 kg; x 50 x 30 = 64,286 kg.
Four horses on hay for 90 days
Inputs: 1,100 lb; horse 2.25%; 12% moisture; 4 head; 90 days; $250 per ton
Result: 5.1 tons as fed; 28.1 lb per horse per day; 24.8 lb DM; $3.52 per horse per day
1,100 x 0.0225 = 24.75 lb DM; / 0.88 = 28.1 lb as fed.
Limitations
- Intake only - the widget does not balance energy, protein, minerals or fibre.
- Presets are typical values; actual intake depends on feed quality, palatability, weather and production stage.
- No allowance for wastage or shrink in storage.
Where publishers use it
- A cattle-feed mill's page helping buyers estimate monthly tonnage
- A livestock extension newsletter on winter feed budgeting
- A horse livery yard's page explaining hay requirements per horse
- A dairy nutrition consultant comparing silage and hay on a dry-matter basis
- An agricultural college exercise converting as-fed to dry-matter figures
Questions
Why calculate on a dry-matter basis?
Feeds differ hugely in water. Silage can be 65% water and hay 12%, so 10 kg of each supplies very different nutrients. Expressing intake as DM lets you compare and swap feeds, then convert back to the weight you actually load.
How much does a horse eat per day?
The Merck Veterinary Manual suggests 2-2.5% of body weight as dry matter for an average healthy horse, with at least half from forage and never less than 1.25% when on a restricted diet. A 500 kg horse at 2.25% eats about 11.25 kg DM a day.
How much does a feedlot steer eat?
Merck states cattle on full feed consume about 2.0-2.3% of body weight in dry matter. A 600 kg steer at 2.15% eats about 12.9 kg DM daily.
Where do I find the feed's moisture content?
From a forage or feed analysis, the supplier's specification or a moisture tester. Hay and grain are often around 10-15% moisture, silage 60-70% and fresh pasture higher; using a guess for silage can throw the as-fed total off badly.
What about growing or pregnant animals?
Intake changes with growth, pregnancy and lactation. Use the custom percentage with a figure from your nutritionist or a published ration table for that class of stock.
Does the result include waste?
No. Feed is lost in storage, during handling and at the trough or rack, so buy and store more than the calculated quantity.
Sources
- Feeding Practices in Horses and Other Equids - Merck Veterinary Manual . 2-2.5% of body weight as dry matter per day for an average healthy horse; at least 50% forage; not below 1.25% on restricted diets. Checked 2026-10-01.
- Feeding and Nutritional Management of Beef Cattle - Merck Veterinary Manual . Feedlot cattle consume about 2.0-2.3% of body weight in dry matter on full feed. Checked 2026-10-01.
- Nutritional Requirements of Dairy Cattle - Merck Veterinary Manual . Feeding-guideline table: about 29.4 kg/day DM intake for a 725 kg cow in mid-lactation. Checked 2026-10-01.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools Livestock Feed Calculator https://a2z.tools/embed/livestock-feed-calculator
<a href="https://a2z.tools/embed/livestock-feed-calculator">A2Z Tools Livestock Feed Calculator</a>
[A2Z Tools Livestock Feed Calculator](https://a2z.tools/embed/livestock-feed-calculator)
Livestock Feed Calculator by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/embed/livestock-feed-calculator
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