🐄 Average Daily Gain Calculator for Cattle
Calculate ADG, total gain, feed efficiency & performance ratings for any cattle class
| Cattle Type | Low ADG | Average ADG | High ADG | Metric (kg/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocker Steer | 1.5 lb/day | 2.5 lb/day | 3.0 lb/day | 0.68 – 1.36 |
| Feedlot Steer | 3.0 lb/day | 3.5 lb/day | 4.5 lb/day | 1.36 – 2.04 |
| Growing Heifer | 2.0 lb/day | 2.8 lb/day | 3.2 lb/day | 0.91 – 1.45 |
| Cow-Calf / Calf | 1.5 lb/day | 2.0 lb/day | 2.8 lb/day | 0.68 – 1.27 |
| Grass-Fed Steer | 1.5 lb/day | 2.0 lb/day | 2.5 lb/day | 0.68 – 1.13 |
| Dairy Calf | 1.5 lb/day | 2.0 lb/day | 2.5 lb/day | 0.68 – 1.13 |
| Bull | 2.5 lb/day | 3.2 lb/day | 4.0 lb/day | 1.13 – 1.81 |
| Backgrounder | 2.0 lb/day | 2.6 lb/day | 3.2 lb/day | 0.91 – 1.45 |
| ADG (lb/day) | Feed Intake (lb/day) | FCR (lb feed / lb gain) | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 15 – 18 | 10.0 – 12.0 | |
| 2.0 | 16 – 20 | 8.0 – 10.0 | |
| 2.5 | 18 – 22 | 7.0 – 8.8 | |
| 3.0 | 20 – 24 | 6.5 – 8.0 | |
| 3.5 | 22 – 26 | 6.0 – 7.4 | |
| 4.0+ | 24 – 28 | 5.5 – 7.0 |
| Days on Feed | ADG 1.5 lb/day | ADG 2.5 lb/day | ADG 3.5 lb/day | Metric 1.13 kg/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 45 lb gain | 75 lb gain | 105 lb gain | 33.9 kg gain |
| 60 days | 90 lb gain | 150 lb gain | 210 lb gain | 67.8 kg gain |
| 90 days | 135 lb gain | 225 lb gain | 315 lb gain | 101.7 kg gain |
| 120 days | 180 lb gain | 300 lb gain | 420 lb gain | 135.6 kg gain |
| 150 days | 225 lb gain | 375 lb gain | 525 lb gain | 169.5 kg gain |
| 180 days | 270 lb gain | 450 lb gain | 630 lb gain | 203.4 kg gain |
| lb/day | kg/day | oz/day | g/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb/day | 0.23 kg/day | 8 oz/day | 227 g/day |
| 1.0 lb/day | 0.45 kg/day | 16 oz/day | 454 g/day |
| 1.5 lb/day | 0.68 kg/day | 24 oz/day | 680 g/day |
| 2.0 lb/day | 0.91 kg/day | 32 oz/day | 907 g/day |
| 2.5 lb/day | 1.13 kg/day | 40 oz/day | 1,134 g/day |
| 3.0 lb/day | 1.36 kg/day | 48 oz/day | 1,361 g/day |
| 3.5 lb/day | 1.59 kg/day | 56 oz/day | 1,588 g/day |
| 4.0 lb/day | 1.81 kg/day | 64 oz/day | 1,814 g/day |
Daily gain is a basic measure in beef production. In its simplest level, the average daily gain (ADG) shows the daily amount of weight increases during a set period. In the beef sector it estimates the growth rate of the livestock
The math is easy. You divide the won pounds by the number of days to get the average daily gain. For count ADG, you took the whole gain and divide it by the days between the start and present weight.
Average Daily Gain in Beef Cattle: How to Measure and What Changes It
Calculator helps producers add several weights with data, compile temporary ADG for every interval and observe the total average through the whole feeding period.
What is thought of as good daily gain? In beef systems ADG usually varires between 2.5 and 4.0 pounds daily, according to quality of pasture and targets of production. During the standard growing season you should expect at least 2 pounds day for calves and yearlings.
2.5 pounds day are reasonable, but the type of gain range according to the place of the animal in feeding period. If the whole feeding period intend 2.5 pounds, but you reach only that initially, the livestock will trail ultimately.
The kind of pasture matters a lot. Livestock on corn silage or moderate energy feed gain around 2 pounds day. On finishing feed or feedlot-type it grows more.
Pigs turn 3 pounds of grain into 1 pound gain, while beef require 6 to 8 pounds of grain for 1 pound. More creatures reach 2 pounds day than 4 to 5.
Quality of pasture also matters. By means of white clover and annual lespedeza in high fescue pastures, producers lower fescue toxicity and expand gain for stocker cattle by up to 55 percent each acre. Legumes with high total digestible nutrients and crude protein rushes the daily gain effectively and cheaply.
Beef on good meadow during summer reaches almost 3 pounds day for steers and around 2.75 pounds for heifers.
Additives to feed help also. Research shows that Amaferm expand average daily gain in quarter pound day, and later studies found even bigger impact. One testing showed 21 percent higher whole ADG and 23 percent better feed impact for grain-finished livestock receiving implants and ionophores compared to a control group.
Heifers end more soon and in lighter weight. Stocker calves bought at 400 pounds with 1.5 pounds day during 200 days reach 700 pounds. Knowledge of the weight in a given time genuinely matters for tracking theprogress correctly.
