Sheep Stocking Rate Calculator

Work out sheep stocking rate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Sheep Stocking Rate Calculator

Stocking is expressed in dry sheep equivalents: one DSE is a 45-50 kg dry sheep at maintenance. Pasture area times DSE per hectare gives total capacity, and dividing by the DSE rating of your class of sheep — a twin-bearing ewe is 2.0-2.5 DSE — gives the number carried.

Formula

Stocking rate

Total DSE = area x DSE per ha; sheep = total DSE / DSE per head

Worked example

With the default values below, Sheep Stocking Rate Calculator returns Sheep Carried Year-Round of 133. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Pasture Areaminimum 0.01 ha: 20 ha
Carrying Capacityminimum 0.1 DSE/ha: 8 DSE/ha
DSE Rating Per Sheepminimum 0.1: 1.2
Grazing Season Lengthaccepts 1–12 months: 8 months

Results

Sheep Carried Year-Round: 133
Total DSE Capacity: 160.00
Sheep Per Hectare: 6.67
Sheep If Grazed Only In Season: 200

Step by step

1Values used
2Stocking rate
3Sheep Carried Year-Round= 133
4Total DSE Capacity= 160.00
5Sheep Per Hectare= 6.67
6Sheep If Grazed Only In Season= 200

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

Why use DSE rather than head count?

A dry ewe, a lactating ewe with twins and a growing lamb eat very differently. DSE puts them on a common energy basis so stocking rate means something.

Should stocking match the average or the worst month?

Match the feed curve. Setting stocking to peak spring growth guarantees a deficit in the dry season, so either destock, conserve fodder or plan supplementary feeding.