Cattle Housing Space Calculator

Work out cattle housing space instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Cattle Housing Space Calculator

A loose housing dairy shed needs about 3.5-4 m2 of covered standing per adult animal plus 7-10 m2 of open paddock, and around 1.0-1.2 m of manger per animal so all can feed at once. Manger length is usually the constraint that sets shed length in a well-designed unit.

Formula

Housing area

Covered = animals x covered per animal; open = animals x open per animal; manger = animals x manger per animal

Worked example

With the default values below, Cattle Housing Space Calculator returns Covered Shed Area of 80.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Number Of Animalsminimum 1: 20
Covered Area Per Animalminimum 0.1 m2: 4 m2
Open Paddock Per Animalminimum 0 m2: 8 m2
Manger Length Per Animalminimum 0.1 m: 1.05 m

Results

Covered Shed Area: 80.00
Open Paddock Area: 160.00
Total Area Required: 240.00
Total Manger Length: 21.00

Step by step

1Values used
2Housing area
3Covered Shed Area= 80.00
4Open Paddock Area= 160.00
5Total Area Required= 240.00
6Total Manger Length= 21.00

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Loose housing or tie stalls?

Loose housing gives better feet, udder health and oestrus expression and needs less labour per animal, at the cost of more area. Tie stalls suit very small herds and cold climates.

Does the space need to change with animal size?

Yes. Buffaloes and large crossbreds need 4.5-5 m2 covered; calves need 1.0-1.5 m2 up to six months. Size the shed for mature body weight, not current.