Daily Liveweight Gain Calculator
Calculate DLWG (kg/day) from weigh records, project days to target, and compare against UK benchmarks.
Weigh Record
Enter start weight, end weight, and number of days to calculate DLWG.
Target Weight Projection
Optional — enter a target weight to see how many more days at current DLWG.
UK DLWG Benchmarks
| Stock type | Target DLWG (kg/day) |
|---|---|
| Dairy beef calves (0–3 months) | 0.6–0.8 |
| Dairy beef stores (3–12 months) | 0.8–1 |
| Finishing beef (12+ months) | 1–1.4 |
| Suckler calves (pre-weaning) | 0.8–1.2 |
| Store cattle (grassland system) | 0.6–0.9 |
| Dairy heifers (rearing) | 0.7–0.8 |
| Dairy heifers (target bulling) | 0.6–0.7 |
| Sheep — finishing lambs | 0.2–0.35 |
Weighing Equipment
Cattle Weigh Band / Tape
Quick liveweight estimate without a crush
Portable Livestock Weighing Scale
Accurate individual animal weights in the field
Numbered Livestock Ear Tags
Track individual animals across weigh sessions
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About daily liveweight gain
Daily liveweight gain (DLWG) is the single most important growth performance metric in beef and sheep production. A 0.2 kg/day improvement over a 100-day finishing period means 20 fewer days on feed — saving £60–£80 per head at typical housing and feed costs.
Monitoring DLWG regularly (every 3–4 weeks) lets you catch performance dips before they become expensive. The most common causes of below-target DLWG are silage quality (low ME), restricted concentrate allocation, subclinical disease, and overstocking.
Use the DLWG result alongside a silage required calculator and your feed costs to calculate a full feed cost per kg of gain — this lets you see whether a ration change to improve DLWG actually pays for itself.