Feed is the single largest recurring expense on most livestock and poultry operations, typically accounting for 60-75% of total production cost. This calculator multiplies the number of animals by their daily feed intake and the current feed price to give you daily, monthly, and yearly cost projections, so you can budget accurately and compare feed suppliers or ration changes before committing to them.
Daily Cost = Number of Animals × Feed per Animal per Day (kg) × Price per kg. Monthly cost multiplies the daily figure by 30, and yearly cost multiplies it by 365. The same logic applies whether you're feeding two dairy cows or two thousand broilers — only the intake-per-animal figure changes.
| Animal | Typical Daily Intake | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy cow (lactating) | 12-18 kg dry matter | Higher for high-yield breeds |
| Buffalo (milking) | 10-14 kg dry matter | Plus green fodder |
| Broiler chicken | 100-150 g (grows with age) | Peaks near market weight |
| Layer hen | 110-120 g | Fairly constant through lay cycle |
| Goat/sheep | 1.5-2.5 kg | Depends on body weight and stage |
Suppose you keep 20 dairy cows, each eating 14 kg of feed per day, at PKR 45 per kg. Daily cost = 20 × 14 × 45 = PKR 12,600 per day, which works out to roughly PKR 378,000 per month and PKR 4.6 million per year. Running this number before the season starts helps you lock in bulk feed contracts or plan silage storage instead of buying at spot prices.
It depends entirely on herd size and feed price, which is why this calculator exists rather than quoting a single figure. As a rule of thumb, feed cost per animal per month runs 3-5% of the animal's market value for cattle, and considerably higher for intensively fed poultry.
Use as-fed intake (the actual weight of feed you put in the trough), since that matches how feed is priced and purchased. Dry matter intake is a nutrition-planning concept used to balance rations, not a purchasing figure.
The most reliable levers are reducing feed wastage (proper feeder design cuts waste by 10-15%), buying in bulk during harvest season when grain prices dip, and formulating rations based on actual nutrient requirements rather than a flat commercial mix.
No — it uses the single price you enter. Because feed prices in Pakistan can swing 20-30% between harvest and lean season, we recommend re-running the calculator with updated prices each quarter rather than relying on one annual estimate.