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Feed Cost Calculator
How to use this calculator
Enter details of the feed or feed mix you want to use in the white boxes. Once the details are entered, press the ‘Calculate’ button to display the answers. To compare feeds, enter up to 3 feeds and view their individual results. Costs will be given in $/t so that the cheapest feed in terms of energy or protein can be selected. Use the mix ratio to view the cost of any mix.
Feed Name
Use the drop-down boxes to enter the feed name to be used. If using a mix, select the 1st feed in Feed 1 and select the 2nd feed in Feed 2 and so on.
Cost on Farm
Enter the cost of each feed selected in $ per tonne. This will be used to calculate the cost of energy and protein for the feed mix.
Dry Matter
This is the percentage dry matter of the feed. Leave this box empty if you want to use the default value for the feed. Silage has no default values due to it’s extremely variable quality and moisture levels. We recommend that you have your feeds tested as many vary depending on harvest conditions and season. If you have feed test results, enter the details by overtyping the default value.
Energy
This is the energy that the feed contributed in mega joules per kilogram of dry matter. Leave this box empty if you want to use the default value for the feed. We recommend that you have your feeds tested as many vary depending on harvest conditions and season. If you have feed test results, enter the details by overtyping the default value. Silage has no default values due to it’s extremely variable quality and moisture levels.
Crude Protein
This is the percentage of crude protein in the feed selected. Leave this box empty if you want to use the default value for the feed. We recommend that you have your feeds tested as many vary depending on harvest conditions and season. If you have feed test results, enter the details by overtyping the default value. Silage has no default values due to it’s extremely variable quality and moisture levels.
Mix Ratio
If selecting only one feed, enter 100%, ensuring that no details have been entered in Feed 2 or Feed 3. If a mix is being selected, enter the ratio (by weight) for each feed, making sure that the mix adds up to 100%.
Results
Pressing the ‘calculate’ button will give details for each feed and also details for the feed mix if selected. Use the ‘reset’ button to clear the results.
The results are presented ‘as fed’. This is the actual weight of the feed as it is in the silo. As all feed has some moisture content, the calculator uses the dry matter percentage to work out the amount that needs to be weighed out for feeding. This is especially important when feeding silage as moisture content is extremely variable.
Please refer to the supplementary feed calculator for requirements for pregnant and lactating ewes and to the Supplementary Feeding page for details on rations and other important advice.
Feed Mix Results
This series of boxes show the feed quality and costs associated with the feed mix you have selected.
If you have selected 100% in Feed 1. no results will show in these feed mix result boxes. Choosing more than 1 feed requires you to set the feed mix. Choose a ratio of feed (on a weight basis) for the feeds you require. The results will then show the protein level of the mix as well as the energy level of the mix and associated costs.