A NSW Government website

Looking after Livestock

Resources to help primary producers care for livestock during drought.

Feeding and Nutrition

Drought feeding livestock

How you feed your livestock through drought is a crucial decision.

Feed and Fodder

When bringing fodder and feed onto your property, you need to think about its quality and nutritional value and the longer term biosecurity risks you might be exposed to like pests, weeds and diseases.

Confinement Feeding

Confinement feeding can help maintain livestock production during periods of limited feed availability and help maintain groundcover across other parts of the property

Feed Calculators

Access our range of Feed Calculators to support your decision making during drought.

Using hay or silage during drought

A factsheet on using hay or silage to feed drought affected stock

Drought-affected canola and wheat - feed quantity

A fact sheet to maximise the nutritional output from crops during drought.

Stock Water Requirements in Drought

How much water cattle and sheep require on a daily basis during drought can vary.

Importing hay from red imported fire ant affected area

Advice for importing hay into NSW from red imported fire ant infested areas.

Requirements for fodder purchased from interstate

Understand your biosecurity obligations of importing fodder and hay into NSW.

Tips through video

To feed or not to feed: weather forecasts and feeding decisions

NSW DPI's Dr Anthony Clark discusses weather forecasts and feeding decisions

Understanding drought fodder quality

NSWDPI Senior Research Scientist at Wagga Wagga Ag Institute, John Piltz, explains how to interpret feed test results and why they are important.

Drought feeding pregnant and calving cows

Brett Littler from NSW Local Land Services discusses strategies, management tips and feeding options.

Early weaning calves

Brett Littler, Senior Land Services Office (Livestock), discusses the benefits of early weaning.

On-farm water supply options and livestock management

A detailed and practical video designed to offer livestock producers genuine options and strategies for improving water quality for livestock production and the environment.

Case Study: How one farming family managed through the drought & their learnings

Animal Welfare

Animal welfare during drought

Animal welfare considerations are critical when managing stock during dry times, when feed and water resources are in short supply.

Beef cattle checklist during drought

Checklist for good beef cattle health and management in drought

Beekeeping during drought

During and after drought beekeepers need to manage the nutrition of honey bee colonies.

Humane destruction of livestock

Humane destruction of livestock

To ensure that livestock destruction is conducted humanely, efficiently and safely these guidelines have been developed to assist.

Disposing of deceased stock

When planning for on-farm burial there are a number of factors that need to be considered. These issues include the environmental, statutory controls, logistics and safety.