Hay Bale Calculator

A common rule is 1.5 to 2 percent of body weight in dry forage, so roughly 20 pounds a day for a 1000 pound horse. Adjust for workload, pasture access and body condition, and use the ration your animals actually need.

Small square bales often run 40 to 60 pounds, while large round bales range from several hundred to over 1000 pounds. Bale weight varies with size, moisture and how tightly it was baled, so weigh a sample and enter that figure.

Hay is bought by the whole bale, so any partial need rounds up to the next bale. In the second example, 13,500 pounds over 40-pound bales is 337.5, which rounds up to 338 bales.

Usually yes. Feeding waste can be 10 to 20 percent or more without feeders, as animals trample and refuse some hay. This tool counts the ration only, so add a margin or use feeders to cut losses.

Yes. The math is the same for any grazing animal: enter the herd or flock size and the correct per-head daily ration for that species. Only the ration figure changes, not the calculation.

Round bales weigh far more than small squares, so the bale count drops sharply while the total pounds stay the same. Enter the true weight of your round bales, since a 5-by-6 foot bale can weigh well over 1000 pounds.

Stand on a bathroom scale holding a small bale and subtract your own weight, or use a livestock or luggage scale. For round bales, ask the supplier for the average weight or use a loader with a scale attachment.

No, it is a planning estimate for buying and budgeting. For diets, health and specific rations, follow your veterinarian, nutritionist or local extension service for your animals.

Yes. The estimate runs in your browser, so the figures you enter are never uploaded.