Hay Calculator
Plan your winter hay before prices climb. Enter how many animals you feed, their average weight and how long you need to feed hay, and get the daily amount, total tons and the number of small square or round bales to buy, with a realistic waste factor.
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A typical riding horse is 900–1,200 lb (410–545 kg).
Horses: 1.5–2.5% (2% is a common rule).
Mature beef cows are often 1,100–1,400 lb.
Dry cows ~2–2.5%, lactating cows and growing cattle ~2.5–3%.
Sheep ~2–3%, goats ~3–4% (more when nursing).
e.g. 150–180 days for a northern winter, 365 with no pasture.
Hay racks/feeders 5–15%, round bale with ring 10–20%, fed on the ground 25–40%.
How to use the Hay Calculator
- Choose pounds or kilograms for weights.
- Enter each group of animals: how many, their average weight and daily hay intake as a percent of body weight.
- Set the feeding period in days and how much of the diet comes from hay.
- Pick your bale type and a waste factor that matches how you feed.
- Press Calculate hay to see bales, tons, hay per day and cost, then compare other periods and bale sizes.
How the hay calculation works
Livestock eat a fairly predictable share of their body weight in forage each day, so hay planning comes down to four numbers: how many animals, how heavy they are, how many days you feed, and how much you lose to waste.
- Hay eaten per day = animals × average weight × intake % × share of diet from hay
- Hay fed per day = hay eaten ÷ (1 − waste %)
- Total hay = hay fed per day × feeding days; divide by 2,000 for short tons
- Bales = total hay ÷ bale weight, rounded up
Example: two 1,100 lb horses at 2% eat 44 lb a day. With 10% waste you put out 48.9 lb a day, or 8,800 lb (4.4 tons) over 180 days, which is 176 small square bales of 50 lb.
Typical daily hay intake
| Animal | Hay per day (% of body weight) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Horse, maintenance | 1.5–2.5% (2% typical) | 1,000 lb horse ≈ 20 lb/day |
| Pony, miniature horse, donkey | 1.5–2% | 500 lb donkey ≈ 8–10 lb/day |
| Beef cow, dry | 2–2.5% | 1,300 lb cow ≈ 26–33 lb/day |
| Beef cow, nursing a calf | 2.5–3% | 1,300 lb cow ≈ 33–39 lb/day |
| Sheep | 2–3% | 150 lb ewe ≈ 3–4.5 lb/day |
| Goat | 3–4% | 120 lb goat ≈ 3.6–4.8 lb/day |
These are planning ranges for mature animals fed mostly hay. Hay quality, cold weather, pregnancy, lactation, growth and body condition all change real needs. Ask your vet or extension office for a ration for your animals.
Tips for buying and storing hay
- Weigh a sample. Bale weights differ between suppliers and cuttings. Put five bales on a scale and use the average.
- Buy a cushion. A late spring, deep snow or a drought can stretch hay feeding by weeks; 10–20% extra is common.
- Store it dry. Bales stored outside on the ground can lose a large share of their outer layer to weather. A barn, tarp or pallets keep losses down.
- Compare price per ton, not per bale. A cheap bale that weighs less can cost more per ton than a heavier one.
- Use feeders. Slow feeders, hay nets and ring feeders reduce trampling and waste, which often pays for the feeder within a season.
Frequently asked questions
How much hay does a horse eat per day?
A common rule is 2% of body weight per day in forage, with a usual range of about 1.5–2.5%. A 1,000 lb horse therefore eats about 20 lb of hay a day, or roughly 3.6 tons over a full year with no pasture, before any waste.
How many bales of hay does a horse need for winter?
At 20–22 lb a day for an average horse, a 180-day winter needs about 3,600–4,000 lb of hay. That is roughly 72–80 small square bales of 50 lb, plus 10–15% for waste, so many owners plan on 80–90 bales per horse.
How much hay does a cow eat per day?
Beef cows eat about 2–2.5% of their body weight in hay per day, and lactating cows up to about 3%. A 1,300 lb cow needs about 30–33 lb a day, so one 1,100 lb round bale feeds her for roughly a month once waste is included.
How much hay do goats and sheep need?
Sheep eat roughly 2–3% and goats 3–4% of their body weight per day in hay when there is no pasture. A 120 lb goat needs about 4 lb of hay per day; pregnant and nursing does need more.
How much does a bale of hay weigh?
Small two-string square bales typically weigh 40–65 lb and three-string bales 80–120 lb. Round bales range from about 500 lb for a 4×4 ft bale to 1,200–1,500 lb for a 5×6 ft bale. Moisture, hay type and baler settings all change the weight, so weighing a few bales is the best way to plan.
How much hay is wasted?
Waste depends mostly on how hay is fed. Enclosed racks and slow feeders often lose 5–15%, round bales in a ring feeder 10–20%, and hay fed loose on the ground 25–40% or more. Storing bales outside uncovered adds further losses.
How do you calculate how much hay you need?
Multiply the number of animals by their average weight and by the daily intake percentage to get hay eaten per day. Divide by (1 − waste %) to get hay fed per day, multiply by the number of feeding days, then divide by the bale weight and round up.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.