Cattle Feed & Hay Calculator
How much hay your cattle need for winter: bales, tons and waste.
Coming soon to Google Play In review at Google Play; the link appears here when it is live.
What it is
Cattle Feed & Hay Calculator works out how many bales of hay to buy for your herd this winter, how many tons that is and what it will cost, allowing for the hay your feeding method wastes.
Screenshots
Features
Built for beef producers, cow-calf operations and small farms planning winter feed. Bale weights vary a lot, so weigh a few or ask your seller, and adjust intake for lactating cows or poor hay.
This is a purchasing estimate, not a ration. For a feeding plan, speak to your vet or nutritionist.
- Dry-matter intake as a % of body weight, editable
- Hay dry matter (%) so damp or dry hay is handled correctly
- Feeding method presets: cone feeder, ring feeder, unrolled, no feeder
- Bale presets: 4x5, 5x5 and 5x6 ft round bales, small squares, or your own weight
- Bales, total tons or tonnes, hay per head per day and optional cost
- Works in kilograms and tonnes or pounds and US tons
- 100% offline: no internet, no account, no data collected
How it works
Intake is planned as dry matter, about 2% of body weight per day as extension services publish it (editable). That is converted to hay as fed using the hay's dry matter, increased by the waste for your feeder (cone, ring, unrolled or no feeder), and rounded up to whole bales of the size you choose.
Honest limits
- Bale weights vary a lot; weigh a few or ask your seller. Adjust intake for lactating cows or poor hay. This is a purchasing estimate, not a ration.
Questions
How much hay does a cow eat per day?
About 2% of its body weight in dry matter per day, more for lactating cows. A 1,200 lb cow eats about 24 lb of dry matter, which is a little more hay as fed.
How many round bales do I need for winter?
Multiply daily hay per head by the number of cattle and days, add your feeder's waste, and divide by the bale weight. The calculator does this with round or square bale presets.
Is the Cattle Feed & Hay Calculator free?
Yes. It is free with ads and works offline.
Private and offline
Runs entirely on your phone and works offline. No account, no sign-up, and your data stays on your device. The app shows ads through Google AdMob; see the privacy policy. Privacy policy.
Free, with ads.
Coming soon to Google Play In review at Google Play; the link appears here when it is live.
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