In contract broiler farming, feed often takes up the lion’s share of total production cost — often crossing over three-fourths of the entire budget. Now imagine this: even if everything in your farm feels "normal", a slight drop in feed efficiency could be quietly robbing you.
That’s what poor FCR does.
It’s like a silent leak in your water tank — barely noticeable but consistently draining your margins.
The question is: Are you tracking it?
🔍 What Is FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio)?
FCR is the ratio that tells you how much feed your birds consume to gain one unit of body weight.
In simple terms:
FCR = Total Feed Consumed / Total Weight Gained
A lower FCR means your birds are growing efficiently with less feed.
A higher FCR means your birds are eating more but gaining less — and that’s costing you.
💸 The Real Cost of High FCR
You don’t need complex data systems to understand the pain of poor FCR. Let’s walk through a basic scenario:
🐔 Say your flock has consumed 10,000 kg of feed.
🐥 The birds gained only 5,000 kg of live weight.
🧮 Your FCR = 10,000 ÷ 5,000 = 2.0 (a high and costly number)
Now, imagine you could have maintained FCR at 1.7 with better management. That means the same birds could’ve gained the same weight with 8,500 kg of feed.
You just lost 1,500 kg of feed in efficiency — silently, without alarms, without anyone noticing.
Multiply this across batches and you’ll see lakhs vanish every year.
🔧 7 Common Reasons Your FCR Might Be Leaking Profits
Even small oversights in daily farm management can snowball into major losses through FCR. Here’s what most farmers overlook:
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Irregular feeding schedules
Birds grow best when feed delivery is consistent. Late feeding disrupts growth patterns. -
Unclean or blocked feeders
Dirty or jammed pans make birds skip meals, leading to uneven growth. -
Poor water quality or access
If birds drink less, they eat less. If water is contaminated, digestion suffers. -
Inconsistent lighting
Lighting affects feed intake. Dim or broken lights reduce feeding time. -
Shed temperature fluctuations
Birds burn more energy to cope with cold or heat — which means more feed for less weight gain. -
Breed mismatch or incorrect stocking density
Some breeds require different feed plans. Overcrowding reduces feed access and increases stress. -
Ignoring daily feed logs
If feed isn’t tracked house-wise, you can’t identify which shed is underperforming.
📊 Ready-to-Use FCR Calculator (Free Formula)
You don’t need an app or subscription. Here’s the basic tool you can use daily:
✅ Step-by-step Formula:
FCR = Total Feed Consumed (kg) ÷ Total Live Weight Gain (kg)
🧪 Want to find your extra feed cost due to high FCR?
Extra Feed = (Actual FCR - Target FCR) × Total Live Weight Gain (kg)
Multiply this “Extra Feed” with your feed cost per kg — and you’ll see how much money you’re bleeding.
🐔 Example:
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Actual FCR: 1.9
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Target FCR: 1.7
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Live weight gain: 10,000 kg
-
Feed price: ₹34/kg
Extra Feed = (1.9 - 1.7) × 10,000 = 2,000 kg
Loss = 2,000 × ₹34 = ₹68,000
➡️ That’s nearly ₹70,000 lost — just from a 0.2 increase in FCR!
🎯 How to Fix It: Action Checklist
Start with these habits to plug your losses:
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Log feed vs. weight daily by shed
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Set feed intake benchmarks per age
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Inspect feeders, water lines, lights every morning
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Assign shed-wise feed targets, not farm-wide
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Use checklists for daily tasks
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Conduct mid-batch reviews for feed response
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Hold weekly team meetings with FCR updates
🧠 Final Thoughts
FCR isn’t just a metric — it’s your bottom line.
When you know your FCR, you can control it. When you control it, you can improve your profits — even without increasing your investment.
Don't wait until lifting day to discover how your birds performed.
Start tracking and correcting today.
