Feed Cost Calculator
Calculate daily, monthly and yearly feed costs per animal and for your entire herd, with realistic prices for green fodder, dry straw, concentrate and mineral mixture.
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Please note: These figures are estimates for planning only. Interest rates, scale of finance, insurance premium rates, subsidies and market charges are set by banks, government notifications and mandi committees and change from season to season. Confirm the current figures with your bank, insurance company, CSC or mandi office before making a decision.
Feed accounts for 60% to 70% of total running costs on an Indian dairy farm. Enter your herd numbers, daily ration amounts and local feed prices to see your exact feed cost per cow per day, monthly herd feed bill, and feed cost per litre of milk.
About the Feed Cost Calculator
Feed is by far the largest operational expense on any dairy farm, typically making up 60% to 70% of total milk production costs. A farmer who controls feed expenses while maintaining nutrition can consistently run a profitable dairy.
The three pillars of a dairy ration
- Concentrate / Cattle Feed (Wanda): The most expensive component (typically ₹22–28/kg). Standard guideline: feed 1.0 to 1.5 kg for body maintenance, plus 1.0 kg for every 2.5 litres of cow milk (or 1.0 kg for every 2.0 litres of richer buffalo milk). Overfeeding concentrate to low yielders is the #1 reason dairy farms lose money.
- Green Fodder: The cheapest source of natural vitamins, minerals and digestible energy. Feeding 20–30 kg of green fodder (maize, berseem, cowpea, hybrid Napier) significantly reduces the quantity of purchased concentrate needed.
- Dry Fodder (Bhusa / Straw): Essential roughage (rumen scratch factor) providing chewing time, salivation, and rumen buffering to keep milk fat percentage high. Usually fed at 4–6 kg per adult animal.
Key benchmark: Feed cost per litre
In India, if your milk sells for ₹45 per litre, your feed cost per litre should ideally stay between ₹22 and ₹28 per litre. If your feed cost exceeds 65% of your milk price, examine whether concentrate is being wasted or milk yield per animal is too low.
How to use the Feed Cost Calculator
- 1 Enter the count of milking and dry animals on your farm.
- 2 Enter the average daily milk yield of your milking cows/buffaloes.
- 3 Review the daily quantities of green fodder, dry bhusa, concentrate feed and mineral mixture.
- 4 Update local market purchase prices per kg (or your own cost of growing fodder).
- 5 Press Calculate to see your daily, monthly and yearly feed budget, plus feed cost per litre of milk.
Quick visual guide
The formula we use
Milking Cow Daily Feed Cost = (Green kg × Green Price) + (Dry kg × Dry Price) + (Conc kg × Conc Price) + (Minerals kg × Mineral Price)
Feed Cost per Litre = Milking Cow Daily Feed Cost ÷ Daily Milk Yield (litres)
Total Herd Daily Cost = (Milking Animals × Milking Feed Cost) + (Dry Animals × Dry Feed Cost)
Monthly Herd Feed Budget = Total Daily Cost × 30.4 daysWorked example
A farmer has 5 milking cows averaging 10 litres/day and 2 dry cows. Ration and local prices:
- Green fodder: 20 kg @ ₹2.50 = ₹50.00
- Wheat straw (bhusa): 5 kg @ ₹8.50 = ₹42.50
- Concentrate: 5 kg @ ₹24.00 = ₹120.00
- Mineral mix & salt: 100 g @ ₹90/kg = ₹9.00
- Feed cost per milking cow per day = 50 + 42.50 + 120 + 9 = ₹221.50/day.
- Feed cost per litre of milk = ₹221.50 ÷ 10 L = ₹22.15/litre.
- Dry cow daily feed cost = ₹123.65/day.
- Total herd feed bill = (5 × 221.50) + (2 × 123.65) = ₹1,354.80/day = ₹41,186 per month.
Things to keep in mind
- Home-grown fodder: Growing your own hybrid Napier, maize or berseem typically costs ₹1.20–1.80/kg, compared to ₹2.50–3.50/kg if purchased from the market, slashing your monthly feed bill by 20–30%.
- Silage in off-season: Making silage during glut season ensures high-quality green fodder throughout the peak summer months at less than ₹5/kg.
- Mineral mixture is non-negotiable: Skimping on mineral mixture (saving ₹8/day) causes repeat breeding, long dry periods, and silent heat, costing thousands in lost milk.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to feed one dairy cow per day in India?
For a cow giving 10 litres of milk per day, daily feed cost typically ranges from ₹190 to ₹250 depending on whether you grow your own green fodder and local bhusa prices. Concentrate feed accounts for more than half of this daily cost.
How much concentrate should I feed per litre of milk?
Feed 1 kg of commercial dairy concentrate (20–22% crude protein) for every 2.5 litres of cow milk, or for every 2.0 litres of buffalo milk, in addition to a 1.0–1.5 kg maintenance allowance.
What is a healthy feed cost per litre ratio?
Feed cost should ideally represent 50% to 60% of the price you receive for milk. If your milk price is ₹42/L, feed cost should ideally stay under ₹25/L to leave a healthy margin for labor, veterinary care and farm profit.
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