GlenCalc

Hay calculator

Grazing animals eat roughly 2 to 3% of their body weight in dry forage a day. Enter your animals and the bale weight from your supplier.

About 2% for horses, 2 to 2.5% for cattle, 3% or more for goats.

Your answer

Bales146
Hay3.63 tons (US)
Per day48 lb

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How we worked it out

Updated as you change the numbers.

  1. Hay = animals × weight × intake % × days, plus waste.

Method and assumptions

Intake depends on hay quality, the animal’s work and pregnancy or lactation, and the weather. Feeding from racks or hay nets cuts waste from 20% or more to under 10%.

Questions

How much hay do two horses need for winter?

At 1,100 lb each and 2% a day for 150 days with 10% waste, about 3.6 tons: 146 bales of 50 lb.

Sources

Method and figures checked on . Every worked answer on this page is covered by an automated test. Found a mistake? Tell us.

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