Stocking rate calculator

A critical step in analysing your livestock system is to determine the average stocking rate on your farm, the monthly variation in stocking rate and how the stocking rate and hence feed requirements match with the feed supply on your farm. Stocking rate is measured in terms of dry sheep equivalents (DSE). One DSE represents the energy requirement of a non-lactating 50 kg ewe at maintenance; 8.3 megajoules metabolisable energy per head per day (MJ ME/hd/day).

The farm stocking rate (DSE/ha) = number of stock of each class x DSE per head, divided by the number of hectares on the farm. Energy requirements, and therefore DSE, vary considerably with stage of reproduction.
Where there are many different mobs with different DSE ratings on the farm, the EverGraze Stocking Rate Calculator makes it easy to work out monthly stocking rate throughout the year by adding together the stock numbers of each class and their DSE rating in each month.

An example of using the Stocking Rate Calculator is shown here.