In short
- A horse feed room size calculator turns horses, pounds of grain per day and days of stock into bags, cubic feet and floor space.
- A 50 lb bag takes about 1.2 to 1.5 cubic feet (retailer listings; brands vary). Feed companies suggest about 2 weeks of stock.
- Purina suggests no more than 0.5 percent of body weight in grain per meal. Add a weight to check your meal size.
- Quantities only, with no prices. Your builder draws the room and quotes it.
On this page
This horse feed room size calculator is for Ocala and Marion County owners who want to know how much floor a feed room needs before asking a builder for a quote. It adds to our tack room and feed room design guide, which covers sealed walls, floors and rodents.
En español: calculadora del tamaño del cuarto de alimento para caballos
| Your numbers | Result |
|---|
Example: 6 horses on 7 lb a day, 14 days of stock, 50 lb bags stacked 3 ft high.
How the feed room size is worked out
- Pounds to store.
Horses x pounds per horse per day x days. 6 x 7 x 14 = 588 lb.
- Bags.
Pounds divided by the bag size, rounded up: 588 / 50 = 11.8, so 12 bags.
- Cubic feet.
Bags x 1.2 to 1.5 cubic feet for a 50 lb bag. 12 bags is 14.4 to 18 cubic feet.
- Floor under the stacks.
Volume divided by stack height. At 3 ft that is 4.8 to 6 sq ft.
- Room floor.
Double the stack footprint for working room: 9.6 to 12 sq ft. Our assumption.
One horse at 7 lb a day, by days of stock
| Days of stock | Bags | Stack floor, sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | 0.4 to 0.5 |
| 30 | 5 | 2 to 2.5 |
| 60 | 9 | 3.6 to 4.5 |
Arithmetic on the same formula: 50 lb bags stacked 3 ft high, floor under the stacks only.
Planning the saddles too? The tack room size calculator checks a room against published size rules and rack wall space.
Feed figures from published sources
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Grain per meal | 0.5% of body weight | Purina |
| Measure feed by | Weight, not scoops | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Forage per day | 1.5-2.5% of body weight | Extension guides |
| 50 lb bag size | About 1.2-1.5 cu ft | Retailer listings |
| Stock on hand | About 2 weeks | Feed-company guides |
Watch out: this counts storage, not diet. How much a horse should eat depends on the horse, so use the amount your vet or feed company gives you.
Notes for an Ocala feed room
- Humidity. Florida air spoils feed faster than a dry state. Our tack room and feed room guide covers sealed floors, off-floor storage and rodent gaps.
- Bins versus bags. Metal cans with tight lids are the shared advice for rodents; sources differ on plastic. Decanting a bag into a can adds a step and needs more floor.
- Delivery. A door you load from outside keeps dust and traffic out of the aisle. See the horse barn size calculator for the whole footprint.
- Next door. Hay goes elsewhere: use the hay storage space calculator and the bedding calculator.
What this calculator does not cover
- Price. No prices here. See horse barn cost in Ocala.
- Diet. It does not say how much a horse should eat or which feed.
- Fixtures. Shelves, a sink, a scale and a door swing take floor too.
Questions to ask a builder about the feed room
- How big is the feed room inside the walls? Ask for the dimensions in writing.
- Is the floor sealed concrete and the door tight at the bottom?
- Can I load feed from outside?
- Is there room to add shelves or a second room later?
Next step: get a written quote
This tool estimates quantities, not the price or the job. We are a referral service, not a builder; we connect visitors with independent local providers. Use the form below to ask independent local builders for a written quote, and read how to choose a horse barn builder first. To compare bids side by side, use the bid comparison calculator.
Sources
- Purina, Horse Management & Feeding Guidelines: no more than 0.5 percent of body weight in grain per meal, about 5 lb for a 1,000 lb horse.
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Feeding Practices in Horses and Other Equids: measure grain by weight, not volume; 0.5 percent per feeding cap.
- University of Minnesota Extension, Ten things you should know about feeding the mature horse: forage at 1 to 2.5 percent of body weight.
- Retailer listings for 50 lb horse feed bags (Tractor Supply, Amazon): bag sizes of roughly 30 x 15 x 5 in to 36 x 18 x 4 in, about 1.2 to 1.5 cubic feet. Brands vary; check your bag.
- Feed-company storage guides: about two weeks of feed on hand, as summarized in our feed room guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much grain does a horse eat a day?
It depends on the horse, its job and its forage, so ask a vet or feed company for your horse's amount. Extension and feed-company guides say to feed most mature horses at least 1 percent and ideally 1.5 to 2.5 percent of body weight in forage each day, and Purina suggests no more than 0.5 percent of body weight in grain per meal, about 5 lb for a 1,000 lb horse. Enter your own number in the calculator.
How much feed should I keep on hand?
Feed-company guides we reviewed suggest about two weeks. A shorter stock means less feed to spoil in Florida humidity and less for rodents to find; a longer one means fewer deliveries. Enter the days you plan to store and compare the floor space.
How much space does a 50 lb bag of horse feed take?
Retailer listings for 50 lb horse feed bags give sizes that work out to roughly 1.2 to 1.5 cubic feet each, and brands vary. The calculator uses that range and scales it for other bag sizes, which is our assumption. Check the bag you buy.
Does this include hay and shavings?
No. Hay and bedding are usually stored apart from the feed room. Use our hay storage space calculator and bedding calculator for those.
Why double the floor space?
Stacked bags need aisle room to reach, plus space for bins, a scoop, a scale and a door swing. Doubling the stack footprint is our planning assumption, not a code figure. Your builder may want more.