Cow feed calculator

How this feeding schedule works

A young heifer does not eat like a milking cow. For the first year the goal is a strong rumen and steady growth — not a fat calf. Breed type matters: a Holstein-type purebred has a larger mature size and can carry more concentrate; a dairy crossbred (Holstein × local) is smaller, weans earlier, and should be bred later at a lighter weight.

All quantities below are per animal, per day. Concentrate means the farm mix often called a production mash. Wheat straw is the dry stalk leftover after grain harvest. Berseem is green clover fodder. Calcium carbonate is limestone. Sodium bicarbonate buffers the rumen. Bypass fat is rumen-protected fat. A ketosis energy drench is a glycerine or propylene glycol product used for a short period after calving.

Purebred heifers

Months 1–3 rely on whole milk plus calf starter fed free-choice. In month 2, milk should not go above 6 litres so the calf stays hungry enough to eat starter. Milk stops in month 4. From month 5 she moves onto concentrate and wheat straw; silage is introduced in month 6 and rises through the year. By month 12 this schedule assumes she is ready to become pregnant.

Through most of pregnancy she needs about 3 kg concentrate, 500 g wheat straw, and 17.5 kg silage. In the last month — the close-up period — concentrate rises to 5 kg, silage to 20 kg, and a close-up premix (650 g) is added to prepare her for calving.

Crossbred heifers

The first three days are colostrum. Whole milk then follows at 10–15% of body weight, never more than 6 litres. Put calf starter in front of her by day 7. Cut milk after two months and stop it at three months; from then she gets 1.5 kg starter and 200 g wheat straw. Starter rises to 2.25 kg in months 5–6, with 300 g straw. Month 6 is when forage starts: 2–3 kg silage, or 3–4 kg green fodder if silage is missing.

From months 7–9 she moves onto 3 kg concentrate, 10–12 kg silage, and 500 g straw. Months 10–12 keep 3 kg concentrate, lift silage to 15 kg, and straw to 500–750 g. The growth target at 12 months is 275–300 kg — not a breeding date. Months 13–16 keep that diet and add 75 g bypass fat. Breed when she is about 325 kg and at least 4 ft (122 cm) at the withers. An internal exam is useful once she reaches 300 kg.

After she conceives, concentrate drops to 2–2.5 kg. Keep mineral mix and a mycotoxin binder in the ration. In the last month, close-up premix (650 g) replaces regular minerals and dicalcium phosphate, and concentrate rises to 3–4.5 kg — lower end for smaller-framed animals, upper end for larger Holstein-cross heifers.

After calving

Match the calculator’s milk band to yesterday’s yield. Higher yield means more concentrate, silage, berseem, minerals, dicalcium phosphate, limestone, salt, and, at the top bands, amino acids and live yeast. Keep salt in the mix even if salt blocks sit on the feed bunk.

Silage is the preferred forage. If you have none, about 40 kg berseem can fill the gap — a compromise, not a long-term plan — and sodium bicarbonate should be halved. Use magnesium oxide only when the cow has a stomach problem such as acidity, loose dung, or milk-fat depression. In hot weather, 84% bypass fat is often swapped for 99% fat to keep intake up. If you are not feeding silage, 15–20 litre cows get 100 g of each fat type; other bands add 50 g to the fat already in the plan.

A ketosis energy drench (Glycoline and similar products such as Glucosa, Sugapro, or Ketol) belongs only after the first month in milk, and only as a short course. Do not leave it in the ration forever.

Deworm calves only when there is a reason — a dirty yard, a thin calf, or a known parasite problem, often around 2–3 months. A clean shed does not need a monthly deworming calendar.

Feed cost

The right-hand column prices the ration in Pakistani rupees. Defaults are August 2026 mandi averages: packed maize silage around Rs 20/kg, dairy wanda around Rs 100/kg, wheat straw around Rs 23/kg, calf starter around Rs 150/kg, and farm-gate milk around Rs 140/L. Change any field to what you actually pay. The list of ingredients follows the life stage — growing shows milk and starter even if you are looking at month 8, because those still sit in months 1–3 of the raise-a-heifer total.

Growing totals sum each month’s daily ration through month 12 (16 for crossbreds). Pregnancy totals run 280 days from conception to calving: the early ration for about 243 days, then the close-up ration for the rest. For a milking cow the daily ration is divided by the mid-point of the milk band (15–20 L uses 17.5 L) to estimate feed cost per litre. Labour, medicine, and overhead are not included.