Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) is a standard unit frequently used in Australia to compare the feed requirements of different classes of stock or to assess the carrying capacity and potential productivity of a given farm or area of grazing land.
The unit represents the amount of feed required by a two year old, 45 kg (some sources state 50 kg) Merino sheep (wether or non-lactating, non-pregnant ewe) to maintain its weight. One DSE is equivalent to 7.60 megajoule (MJ) per day.
The carrying capacity of a farm is commonly determined in Australia by expressing the number of stock carried during a period of feed shortage in terms of their DSEs.[1]
Benchmarking standards used by Grazing for Profit programmes quote that one labour unit (40 hours) is required for 6,000 DSE (other benchmarking standards set the figure at 7,000 DSE).[2]