This document provides tips for minimizing feed costs when raising livestock. It recommends calculating current feed costs, balancing rations to meet nutritional requirements cost-effectively, utilizing pasture and forages, purchasing feeds in bulk when possible, exploring alternative feeds, and designing feeders to reduce waste. Proper mineral supplementation, feed storage, and ration balancing can also help lower costs. The overall message is to understand current feed expenses, maximize the use of available forages, and formulate least-cost rations.

1. Minimizing
Feed Costs
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
SHEEP & GOAT SPECIALIST
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION
SSCHOEN@UMD.EDU – SHEEPANDGOAT.COM – WORMX.INFO

2. Minimizing feed costs
• Do you know how much your hay costs?
• Do you know how much it costs to feed one of your ewes or
does for a year?
• Are you feeding balanced rations or just feeding?
Coping with high feed costs: http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!copinghighfeed/caxv

3. Feed is usually the single greatest cost
associated with feeding livestock.
Pasture is not FREE!

4. Two kinds of feed costs
Purchased/harvested feedstuffs
• Hay
• Grain
• By-product feeds
• Minerals
• Milk replacer
Pasture and browse
• Seed
• Fertilizer
• Lime
• Weed control
• Fencing
• Watering system

5. Maximize your pasture resource
• Soil test
Lime and fertilize
• Mixed swards
Grasses + clovers (forbs)
• Control weeds
• Rotational grazing
• Extend grazing season
• Plant annuals
• Sacrifice field/lot
• Strategic supplementation

6. Feed balanced rations
• Nutrient requirements are based on species,
size (weight), breed, sex, age, stage and level
of productivity.
• Should meet, but not exceed nutritional
requirements of animals.
• Should balance rations for energy, protein,
calcium, phosphorus (and other nutrients
when necessary).
• Divide into production classes for feeding.
• Maximum production not always goal;
profitability is!

7. Ration balancing 101
• Weigh animals and feed.
• Need to know how much you’re feeding and
how much animals are eating (and wasting).
• Analyze forages and other feedstuffs that
can have variable nutritional composition
• You can use book values or feed tags for
many feeds.
• Balance by hand, use spreadsheet, ration
balancing software, or balance online.
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!rationsoftware/c14p1

8. Feed least cost rations
• Shop around for feed.
• Buy feed by weight
(or know cost per lb. or ton).
• Compare feed costs on cost (e.g.
$/lb.) to provide specific nutrient to
ration, e .g. protein, energy, calcium.
• Compare ingredients of
commercial feed products.

9. Make your own simple, on-farm rations
• Corn/barley +
pelleted protein supplement
• Corn/barley + soybean meal
+ minerals/vitamins
• Cracked corn + soybean meal
+ minerals/vitamins (creep feed)
• Legume or mix hay + corn/barley
• Rations don’t have to be complicated!

10. Balance feed costs with labor
• The most expensive way to provide
nutrients is via nutritional tubs.
But, they reduce labor.
• There can be substantial waste if you
feed round bales, especially without
well-designed feeders.
But, it reduces labor
• When given free choice access to feed,
livestock will eat more (than they need)
and have reduced feed efficiency.
But, it reduces labor.

11. Feed whole grain(s)
• Once lambs/kids have functioning rumens, they are able to
utilize whole grains.
• There is no benefit to processing grains for small ruminants.
• Some grains will pass through digestive system whole, but
loss is minimal, compared to cost savings.
• There are less digestive upsets when whole grain is fed.
• Feed efficiency is improved with whole grains.
• No forage source is necessary when whole grain finishing
diets are fed to lambs (and goats ?)
• You can balance simple, cost-effective rations utilizing whole
grains and supplements.

12. Consider alternative feeds
Soyhulls are the “almost” perfect feed
• Depending economics, soyhulls can substitute for
either hay or grain in the diet.
• The nutrient composition of soyhulls is similar to
ear corn or oats.
• 1 lb. of soyhulls = approximately 1.4 lbs. of hay
In forage diets, 1 lb. soyhulls = 1 lb. corn.
• Soyhull pellets are preferable to “loose” soyhulls
• Bulk delivered soyhulls are considerably cheaper
than bagged hulls.
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!soyhulls/cbwi

13. Invest in feed storage
• You can reduce feed costs substantially
by purchasing bulk quantities of feed.
• It doesn’t take a large flock to justify the
cost of a feed bin.
• Uncovered hay deteriorates rapidly in
quality.
• Storage gives you flexibility in feed
purchases.

14. Fine tune your mineral
supplementation program
• Read labels
• Compare costs
Phosphorus most expensive ingredient – do you need it?
• Don’t supplement what you don’t need
• Trace mineral salt vs. complete mineral mix
• Measure intake
• Keep fresh - put out week’s supply
• Force feed when you can
• Loose better than blocks
• Different products for sheep vs. goats

15. Well-designed feeders
• Use feeders
• Don’t feed on ground.
• Consider design of feeders
• Remove feeders after feeding, when
appropriate.
• Use feeders that minimize waste.
• Limit feed, if option
• Provide adequate feeder space, especially if
limit feeding.

16. Thank you for your attention.
Do you have any
questions or comments?
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist
University of Maryland Extension
sschoen@umd.edu
sheepandgoat.com