Calculate hay needed, bales needed, hay tons, daily hay use, winter hay requirements, hay cost, cost per head, and total hay expense. Use this hay calculator for cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and other livestock.
Hay needed:
Enter head count, average animal weight, intake percentage, and feeding days to estimate hay pounds and tons needed.
Bales needed:
The calculator adjusts for waste and reserve, then divides total hay pounds by bale weight.
Hay cost:
Hay cost per bale, hay cost per ton, delivery cost, and total hay tons are used to estimate total feeding cost.
Days covered:
Enter available bales to estimate how many feeding days your hay supply may cover.
A hay calculator helps estimate whether you have enough hay for a feeding period before winter, drought, or dry-lot feeding.
It can help compare livestock count, animal weight, hay intake, bale weight, hay waste, reserve, total tons, bales needed, hay cost, and days covered.
Your result shows estimated daily hay per head, total daily hay, hay needed for the feeding period, waste-adjusted hay, reserve-adjusted hay, hay tons, bales needed, hay cost, cost per head, cost per day, and days covered by available bales. These are estimates based on the values you enter.
Multiply number of head by average animal weight and daily intake percentage, then multiply by feeding days. Add waste and reserve to estimate total hay needed.
Calculate total hay pounds needed, then divide by bale weight. For example, 120,000 pounds of hay divided by 1,200-pound bales equals 100 bales.
A common planning estimate is about 2% to 3% of body weight per day, depending on body size, stage of production, weather, forage quality, and pasture availability.
Hay waste accounts for losses from feeding method, weather exposure, trampling, refusal, storage loss, and handling. Higher waste means more hay should be planned.