Stocking Rate Calculator
How many grazing animals a paddock can carry from its forage yield, the share it is safe to graze, and what each animal eats.
A pasture produces a certain dry-matter yield a year; take only the usable share (leaving the rest for regrowth and trampling, typically 40–60%).
How the stocking rate calculator works
A pasture produces a certain dry-matter yield a year; take only the usable share (leaving the rest for regrowth and trampling, typically 40–60%). Each animal eats about 2–3% of its body weight in dry matter a day. Divide the usable forage by what one animal eats over the grazing period and you have the head the land supports.
Formula: head = area × yield × utilisation ÷ (weight × intake% × days)
Worked examples
| Inputs | Animals supported | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ha at 6,000 kg DM, 450 kg cattle | 14.6 | 14.6 head |
| 50 acres at 5,000 lb, 1,000 lb cows | 13.7 | 13.7 head |
| Sheep on 5 ha for 120 days | 55.6 | 55.6 head |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between stocking rate and carrying capacity?
Carrying capacity is what the land can sustain long term; stocking rate is what you actually run. This calculator estimates capacity from forage — run it with the year’s expected yield and adjust for drought.
What utilisation should I use?
About 25% on rangeland and native pasture, 50% on improved pasture, up to 60–70% under intensive rotational grazing. Higher utilisation risks bare ground and slow regrowth.
How much does an animal eat?
Roughly 2–3% of body weight in dry matter a day — a 450 kg cow about 11 kg, a 60 kg ewe about 1.5 kg; lactating animals eat toward the top of the range.
How does this relate to animal units?
Many advisory systems express stock as animal units or equivalents (one 450 kg cow with calf, or a fixed dry-matter intake). Convert your animals to that base and run the calculator with the reference weight.
Where these figures come from
- NCBI Bookshelf — Molecular Biology of the Cell — growth kinetics and molecular conventions
- CSIRO — Australia's national science agency
Last checked: September 2026. Formulas are the standard textbook forms; assumptions are stated on each page because they are where these models break.