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Feed cost per pound of TDN calculator
Compare hay, cubes, and grain on dollars per pound of TDN — total digestible nutrients — so the cheap bag does not win on sticker price alone.
TDN is the energy you are actually buying. A cheaper cube with lower TDN can cost more per pound of energy than decent hay. Fill one to three feeds with as-fed price, dry matter, and TDN percent; the calculator ranks them by cost per pound of TDN and per pound of dry matter. Pair it with the hay calculator, the glossary, round bale weight, and stocking rate.
Questions
What does TDN mean in cattle feed?
Total digestible nutrients — a practical energy figure for comparing feeds on a ranch.
Should I compare feeds on as-fed price?
Not by itself. As-fed ignores water and energy density. Cost per pound of TDN is the fair fight.
Where do I get TDN percent?
From a hay test or the feed tag. If you only have a book value, use it and note it is an estimate.
Planning only. $/lb TDN = price per ton ÷ (2,000 × DM × TDN). Same idea as UNL’s feed-cost Cow-Q-Lator. Use a hay test when you have one.
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Words used here
Dry matter (DM)TDN (total digestible nutrients)Crude protein (CP)Relative feed value (RFV)
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