Calf Rearing Cost Calculator
Calculate your total cost per calf to weaning — milk, feed, health, labour and overheads fully itemised.
Calf & Batch
Home-born: use average market value
Typically 60–90 days
Used for group total only
Whole Milk Feeding
Leave 0 if feeding replacer only
e.g. 28–35p at current farmgate
Milk Replacer
e.g. £1,500–£2,000/t typically
Min 750 g/day recommended
Example: 750 g/day × 70 days = 52.5 kg = 0.0525 t at £1,800/t = £94.50/calf
Concentrate / Starter
e.g. £350–£450/t
Up to 75–100 kg typical
Health Costs — per calf
Pneumonia, IBR, coccidiosis etc.
Castration, dehorning, call-outs
Bedding — per calf
Straw: e.g. £70–£100/t
Up to 120 kg straw to weaning
Mortality Provision
UK average ~3%; applied as % of purchase price
Labour
Total hours per individual calf — do not enter group total here
e.g. £12–£20/hr
Enter hours per calf. If you know your total group hours, divide by batch size first. Group total labour = hours × batch size × rate.
Fixed & Sundry Costs — per calf
Housing, equipment, depreciation — allocated per calf, not total farm figure
Tags, jackets, transport — per calf
Enter costs per calf. If you have farm-wide fixed costs (e.g. £2,000 total), divide by batch size before entering here.
Expected Sale Price at Weaning
Current average market price expected
Total cost per calf
£601.60
20 calves · group total £12032.00
Margin per calf
−£151.60
33.7% of sale price
UK Benchmark
Industry average: £150–£250/calf to weaning (feed-only costs). Higher with labour & overheads.
Calf Equipment
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