Livestock feed calculator
Ruminant intake is roughly a fixed share of body weight in dry matter, which makes feed budgeting straightforward.
% of body weight
%
kg/m3
%
Feed required
660.00tonnes
- Daily feed
- 4.400 tonnes
- Dry matter required
- 180.00 tonnes
- Fresh feed per head per day
- 50.00
- Dry matter per head per day
- 15.00
- Storage volume
- 942.9
- Total feed per head
- 8250
Show the working
- Number of animals = 80
- Average body weight = 600
- Dry matter intake = 2.5
- Days of feeding = 150
- Feed dry matter = 30
- Feed bulk density = 700
- Feeding waste = 10
- Dry matter per head per day = 600 * 2.5/100 = 15
- Fresh feed per head per day = 15 / (30/100) = 50
- daily_fresh = 50 * 80 * (1 + 10/100) = 4400
- Feed required = 4400 * 150 / 1000 = 660
- Dry matter required = 15 * 80 * 150 / 1000 = 180
- Storage volume = 660 * 1000 / 700 = 942.857
- Daily feed = 4400 / 1000 = 4.4
- Total feed per head = 80 > 0 ? 660 * 1000 / 80 : 0 = 8250
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- dry matter intake = body weight x intake percentage
- fresh weight = dry matter / dry matter content
Dairy cows in milk eat 3 to 4% of body weight in dry matter; dry cows and beef cattle nearer 2 to 2.5%.
Silage at 30% dry matter means feeding more than three kilograms of fresh material per kilogram of dry matter.