Feedlot / Profit
How to Calculate Feedlot Profit
Work through feed costs, weight gain, selling price and margin before you buy weaners or commit to a finishing batch.
Read the guideFarm planning guides
Farm Planning Guides for Feed, Livestock and Profit
Practical guides written for livestock farmers — especially on cattle, sheep, poultry and winter-feeding farms in South Africa.
Each guide explains a planning concept in plain language, with examples you can apply on your own farm. Use them alongside the free farm calculators when costing feed, supplements, hay or poultry batches.
What are Farm Manager planning guides for?
These guides help farmers understand the calculations behind feed costs, livestock growth, hay and supplement planning, and profit estimates — in plain language with practical examples. Read a guide for the concept, then run your own figures in the matching free calculator.
Available guides
Feedlot / Growth
Average Daily Gain Explained
What average daily gain means for finishers, realistic targets and how growth rate changes days on feed and profit.
Read the guide
Feedlot / Efficiency
Feed Conversion Ratio Explained
Understand feed conversion ratio in plain language and why it matters when maize, concentrate or complete feed prices move.
Read the guide
Feedlot / Planning
Common Feedlot Calculator Mistakes
Avoid the input errors that make profit estimates look better or worse than they really are.
Read the guide
Feed / Nutrition
Dry Matter Intake Explained
Why dry matter matters when you compare bags, bales and rations — and how intake affects real feed cost.
Read the guide
Feed / Value
Feed Value Comparison Explained
Compare feeds by dry matter, crude protein and price so you buy value, not just the cheapest bag.
Read the guide
Supplement / Herd
Supplement and Lick Cost Comparison
Plan daily lick intake, bags required and total supplement cost for cattle, sheep or goats on veld.
Read the guide
Poultry / Costing
Poultry Feed Cost Per Bird
Estimate feed bags, cost per bird and margin planning for broilers, layers and pullets.
Read the guide
Hay / Winter feed
Hay Bale Cost Calculation
Work out true bale cost, daily requirements, bales for the season and make-versus-buy decisions.
Read the guide
Tools / Overview
Farm Calculators as Planning Tools
When to use free calculators, what they can tell you and how to get reliable planning numbers.
Read the guideThese guides and calculators are planning tools only. Always confirm feeding programmes, nutrition and product recommendations with your feed supplier, nutritionist or veterinarian.