Turn pasture forage supply and flock intake into a planning sheep stocking rate — sheep per acre, acres per sheep, and season capacity.
Use this when planning how many mature ewes (or mixed sheep) a pasture can carry for a grazing period without guessing from a generic “2 sheep per acre” rule of thumb.
Stocking rate depends on usable dry matter, how hard you graze, animal weight, and days on pasture. Pair with AUM and rotational-paddock tools for layout.
Usable forage = acres × yield × utilization%. Daily DM per sheep = weight × intake%. Sheep capacity = usable ÷ (daily × days).
usable_lb = acres × yield_lb_ac × (util% ÷ 100)
daily_dm = weight_lb × (intake% ÷ 100)
sheep = usable_lb ÷ (daily_dm × days)
sheep/acre = sheep ÷ acres · acres/sheep = acres ÷ sheep
A mature sheep is often ~0.2 AU; this tool sizes by intake instead of a fixed AUE table.
40 acres × 2,500 lb DM/ac × 50% util = 50,000 lb usable. A 150 lb sheep at 3% BW eats 4.5 lb DM/day; over 150 days that is 675 lb/sheep → 50,000 ÷ 675 ≈ 74 sheep (~1.85/acre, ~0.54 acres/sheep).
Assumptions: uniform forage, constant intake, utilization includes waste/trampling buffer you choose.
Limits: does not model drought, parasite larval risk from overgrazing, or lamb creep intake separately.
Responsibility: confirm with local Extension forage guides; start conservative and adjust from residual height.
Often 0.5–5+ depending on rainfall and management. This calculator replaces a fixed rule with your forage numbers.
Raise intake % or add a lamb DM allowance — peak lactation can push well above 3% of ewe BW.
Same forage math; sheep intake is lower per head. Use AUM tools if you lease by animal-unit months.