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Enter the sheep body weight in kilograms, pick the life stage, and enter the flock size. The calculator returns daily dry matter per sheep, hay and concentrate per sheep as fed, and the totals for the whole flock per day. Intake rates are planning midpoints from the published stage ranges, and the hay and concentrate split is a planning split, not a balanced ration. These are estimates for healthy sheep, not veterinary advice: breed, body condition, forage quality, weather, twins versus singles, and milk yield all move the real figure.
Sheep eat a percentage of their body weight in dry matter every day, and that percentage roughly doubles from maintenance to lactation. Published guides put maintenance near 1.8 to 2 percent, late pregnancy near 2 to 3.5 percent, lactating ewes near 3 to 5 percent, and growing lambs near 2.5 to 4 percent. This calculator uses midpoints: 2 percent for maintenance, 2.5 percent for late pregnancy, 4 percent for lactating ewes, and 3 percent for growing lambs.
Worked example: a 60 kg maintenance ewe needs 1.20 kg of dry matter a day, which becomes 1.23 kg of hay and 0.13 kg of concentrate as fed, or 27.20 kg of feed a day for a flock of 20. A second example: a 70 kg lactating ewe needs 2.80 kg of dry matter, which becomes 1.91 kg of hay and 1.24 kg of concentrate as fed, or 31.50 kg a day for a flock of 10. Dry matter is the nutrient weight after water is removed, which is why as-fed weights are always higher.
The table shows the intake rate and the hay and concentrate split this calculator uses for each stage. A lactating ewe with twins sits at the upper end of the published range, so the single lactating rate here is a planning midpoint, not a twin-specific ration.
| Life stage | Dry matter intake | Hay share | Concentrate share | | Maintenance | 2.0 percent of body weight | 90 percent | 10 percent | | Late pregnancy | 2.5 percent of body weight | 75 percent | 25 percent | | Lactating ewe | 4.0 percent of body weight | 60 percent | 40 percent | | Growing lamb | 3.0 percent of body weight | 65 percent | 35 percent |
Feed requirement climbs to about 1.7 times a dry sheep in the last month of pregnancy and about 2.5 times in the first month of lactation, which is why late pregnancy and early lactation are the stages where underfeeding hurts most. Use this sheep feeding chart, including the pregnant ewe feeding chart rows above, to check any result, and remember these figures are lactating ewe feed requirements for planning, not a balanced ration. In late pregnancy, keep at least some roughage in the ration and introduce grain gradually, split so no more than about 0.5 kg is fed at once.
Quality forage is the foundation of the sheep diet, and general guidance says at least 1.5 percent of body weight should come from forage. Hay quality matters more than hay quantity: good hay, pasture and rotational grazing cover most of a maintenance sheep needs, while poor hay forces heavier concentrate use for the same energy.
Grain is an energy top-up, not the base diet. Introduce it gradually over days, not all at once, and cap each feeding, because sudden grain loads can cause acidosis and bloat. Hand-feeding rations used in drought or winter often run grain-heavy, such as 80 percent grain and 20 percent hay for energy-dense late pregnancy rations, but that is a calculated ration for a specific situation, not an everyday feeding rule.
Dry ewes can be maintained on pasture and hay for long stretches: one published example budget feeds a dry ewe 0.58 kg of grain as fed per day for 240 days. Pregnant ewes need a rising ration, from about 0.58 kg in early pregnancy toward 1.17 kg in late pregnancy and about 1.56 kg in the first month of lactation in the same style of example budget, before easing back in months two and three of lactation.
For winter hay planning, multiply the daily as-fed hay figure by the number of feeding days. At 3 percent of body weight, a 125 lb ewe eats 3.75 lb of hay a day, or 675 lb over a 180 day winter, while a 175 lb ewe eats 5.25 lb a day, or 945 lb over the same winter. Always add a waste margin when hay is fed on the ground, and store hay dry, because mouldy hay must never be fed.
Sheep need sheep-specific minerals, and copper is the critical warning: sheep are far more sensitive to copper than cattle or goats, so cattle minerals and many goat minerals can poison them. Use minerals labelled for sheep, and keep them freely available alongside salt. Clean, fresh water must always be available, and intake rises on dry feed and in lactation.
Watch body condition scoring through the year rather than feeding a fixed amount regardless of condition. A ewe that is losing condition in late pregnancy is at risk of pregnancy toxaemia, especially with twins, so increase energy early rather than waiting until she is already thin. If a sheep stops eating, goes off feed for more than a day, or shows bloat, get veterinary advice promptly.
An adult sheep needs about 2 to 3 percent of body weight in feed per day as a rule of thumb, rising to about 4 percent for a lactating ewe. A 60 kg maintenance ewe needs about 1.20 kg of dry matter, which is about 1.36 kg of hay and concentrate as fed.
Hay is the main forage, and at 3 percent of body weight a 125 lb ewe eats about 3.75 lb of hay a day. Multiply the daily as-fed hay figure from this calculator by your feeding days for a winter total, and add a waste margin if you feed on the ground.
Maintenance about 2 percent, late pregnancy about 2.5 percent, lactating ewes about 4 percent, and growing lambs about 3 percent of body weight in dry matter per day. Those are the planning midpoints this calculator uses.
Needs stay near maintenance in early pregnancy, then rise sharply in the last six weeks to about 1.7 times a dry sheep. Introduce grain gradually in late pregnancy, keep roughage in the ration, and split grain so no more than about 0.5 kg is fed at once.
About twice a dry sheep in the first month of lactation, roughly 2.5 times in published budgets. A 70 kg lactating ewe needs about 2.80 kg of dry matter a day in this calculator, with twins sitting at the upper end of the published range.
Yes, in moderation and introduced gradually. Grain is an energy top-up on top of forage, not a replacement for it. Sudden or large grain meals can cause acidosis and bloat, so increase slowly and split the daily amount across feedings.
Yes, sheep-specific minerals plus salt, freely available. Copper is the key danger: sheep are very sensitive to it, so never use cattle minerals for sheep, and check that any mineral mix is labelled for sheep.
Sheep need clean, fresh water at all times, and intake rises on dry feed, in hot weather and during lactation. As a rough guide, a sheep drinks several litres a day, and any restriction quickly cuts feed intake, so check water supply daily.
Yes, particularly on grain or lush pasture, where overeating can cause bloat and acidosis. Forage overeating is less of a risk, but grain must always be measured, introduced gradually and split across feedings.