How Many Acres, Bales, and Gallons Does Your Herd Need?
Every small-acreage plan starts with three numbers: land, winter hay, and daily water. This calculator runs real stocking rates for mini cows, goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas, and pigs, adjusted for your pasture quality and winter length.
How the math works
Acreage sums each species' base stocking rate (mini cow 0.5 acres, standard cow 1.5, goats and sheep 0.2, alpaca 0.15, llama 0.25, pig 0.35) and scales by pasture quality: poor pasture needs 1.5x the land, lush pasture manages on 0.7x. Winter hay multiplies daily intake (mini cow 12 lb, standard cow 26, goat 3, sheep 4, alpaca 3, llama 7) across your feeding weeks, with real bale-waste factors (round bales lose ~20%, squares ~10%). Pigs eat feed, not hay: 5 lb/day each. Water is the daily sum, plus 30 percent in hot climates. The acreage guide explains each constant, and the mini cow guide covers the animal that surprises people most.