Rural Livestock Units
The term livestock unit (LSU) or ewe equivalent (EE) is used to express the annual feed requirement of a "standard" 55 kg breeding ewe rearing a single lamb.
Carrying capacities are based on stock numbers carried at 30 June.
Note: as goats may be browsing scrub and weeds, and because they do not readily consume clover, a direct LSU comparison with other livestock classes may not apply.
One livestock unit requires approximately 520 kg good-quality pasture per year.
Table of Livestock Conversion Factors
| Livestock class |
Weight in kilograms |
Production |
LSU |
|
Sheep |
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|
Weight at mating |
Lambs weaned |
|||
 |
45 |
90% |
0.85 | |
|
Ewe |
55 |
100% |
1.00 | |
|
65 |
130% |
1.25 | ||
|
Pre-winter weight |
||||
|
|
30 |
Slow growth rate |
0.7 | |
|
Hogget |
40 |
Medium growth rate |
1.0 | |
|
50 |
Fast growth rate |
1.2 | ||
|
Ram |
75 |
- |
0.8 | |
|
Beef Cattle |
 |
350 |
Calves weaned |
|
|
400 |
68% |
3.7 | ||
|
Breeding cow |
400 |
83% |
4.4 | |
|
450 |
88% |
5.3 | ||
|
500 |
90% |
6.3 | ||
|
Weaners |
135-270 |
- |
3.5 | |
 |
200-400 |
Slow growing |
3.7 | |
|
Heifers, steers, bulls |
200-465 |
Rapid growing |
4.6 | |
|
350-500 |
Rapid growing |
4.7 | ||
|
600 |
- |
6.0 | ||
|
Dairy cattle |
Fat yield (kg) |
|||
|
|
350 |
140 |
6.1 | |
|
Cow |
400 |
160 |
6.8 | |
|
400 |
180 |
7.3 | ||
|
450 |
200 |
8.0 | ||
|
Jersey yearling |
180-320 |
- |
3.5 | |
|
Fresian yearling |
225-430 |
- |
4.5 | |
|
Jersey calf |
25-180 |
- |
2.0 | |
|
Fresian calf |
35-225 |
- |
2.5 |
| Deer (red) |
Fawning |
|||
| Mature hind |
100 |
90-95 |
1.9 | |
| 15-27 mth hind |
80-100 |
- |
1.8 | |
| 6-15 mth hind |
50-80 |
- |
1.2 | |
|
Dressing % |
||||
| Mature stag |
185 |
59.9 |
2.2 | |
| 15-27 mth stag |
105-140 |
58.2 |
2.1 | |
| 6-15 mth stag |
57.2 |
|||
| Deer (fallow) |
Fawning % |
|||
| Use 0.4-05.5 of red deer values |
80-85 |
|||
| Goats (dairy) |
Milk yield (litres) |
|||
| Does | ||||
| Grass only |
50-60 |
550 |
2.0 | |
| Browsing |
45 |
350 |
1.5 | |
| Goats (purebred angoras) |
Mohair (kg) |
|||
| Does | ||||
| Stud |
 40 |
|
1.0 | |
| Other |
0.7 | |||
| Bucks | ||||
| Stud |
50 |
3.5 |
1.0 | |
| Other |
0.8 | |||
| Hoggets |
1.8-2 |
0.5 | ||
| Goats (cashmere) |
Cashmere (g) |
|||
| Does |
25-35 |
 |
0.7 | |
| Bucks |
30-60 |
0.7 |
Beef Cows
| To mate at 15 months |
Approx. age (months) |
Weight (kg) |
Approx. age (months) | Weight (kg) | |
| Weaning |
5-6 |
180 |
1st calving |
24 |
350-380 |
| 1st winter, June |
10 |
220-250 |
2nd mating |
27 |
340-390 |
| 1st mating |
15 |
250-290 |
3rd winter |
34 |
380-430 |
| 2nd winter |
22 |
320-350 |
2nd calving |
36 |
420-470 |
Mating at 2 yrs
Approx. 330 kg 2nd winter; 360 kg at mating; 480 kg at 1st calving
Beef Bulls, Steers, Heifers
These are desirable target liveweights for rapid finishing systems
| Weaning | 70 kg |
| Mid November | 100 kg |
| Mid March | 180 kg |
| Mid June | 230 kg |
| 1 September | 270 kg |
| Mid December | 410 kg* |
| Mid February | 440 kg* |
*Mid Dec to mid Feb is slaughter period
Sex effects
Steers and heifers will be ablut 10% and 20% lower in weight, respectively, than bulls.
