Interactive Tools

Some Notes On Using This Calculator:

Stock density calculations are helpful for determining how much hoof impact you can place on a single paddock at a single point in time. 

Use this calculator to determine how large a herd you need (or how small a paddock) to get maximum hoof impact on a small piece of pasture for the purpose of “ultra-high-stock-density grazing.” 

Many graziers have used stock density calculations to determine what it takes to achieve over 500,000 lb of liveweight per acre; a few have risked going as high as 1,000,000 lb of liveweight per acre. 

Note that ultra-high-stock-density grazing should be used only for a short period. The whole idea of high-animal impact is to both change animal behaviour to be more competitive for grazing and to get as much hoof action (high disturbance) in a paddock as possible to encourage desirable changes in the plant community.

However, allowing animals to be closely confined for too long can pose concerns regarding their ability to lie down comfortably, access water and salt-mineral sources, and have space for social interactions with other herd members. (Also, if the timing is off for moving the herd to another paddock, there is a great risk of severe overgrazing where a paddock goes from lush green pasture to nothing more than a dirt lot.)

For these reasons, all graziers strongly recommend that ultra-high-density grazing be done for a few hours at a time before being allotted a larger paddock for the night or to “rest” from participating in ultra-high-stock-density grazing for a day or two.