Horse Daily Forage & Feed Intake Calculator

What This Calculator Does

This horse forage intake calculator determines how much dry forage your horse needs to consume daily in kilograms and pounds. Forage is the cornerstone of horse health, powering gut fermentation and continuous digestion.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your horse's weight and select their daily intake percentage (1.5% for weight reduction up to 2.5% for high-performance horses). The calculator determines daily hay needs, meal distribution, and equivalent standard flakes.

Key Factors That Affect the Result

• The 1.5% minimum rule: Horses are trickle feeders; feeding less than 1.5% of body weight in forage severely increases risks of gastric ulcers, stereotypic behaviors (cribbing), and gut impaction.
• Standard maintenance: Healthy adult horses at light work or maintenance thrive on 2.0% of body weight in quality grass hay daily.
• Meal timing: A horse's stomach acid is produced continuously 24/7; dividing forage into multiple feedings or using slow-feeder nets mimics natural grazing and buffers stomach pH.
• Flake weight varies: Standard square bale flakes vary between 1.4 to 3.2 kg (3 to 7 lbs) depending on hay density; always weigh flakes with a hanging scale rather than estimating.

Why This Matters for Your Horses

Meeting your horse's daily forage requirement is the single most important preventative step against colic and gastric ulcers. Long-stem fiber keeps the digestive tract hydrated and functioning smoothly.