{ "slug": "poultry-feed-conversion-cost", "title": "Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator", "heading": "Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator", "category": "financial", "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/poultry-feed-conversion-cost", "summary": "Feed cost per bird and per pound of live weight from FCR and feed price.", "description": "Feed conversion ratio (FCR) — pounds of feed consumed per pound of live weight gained — is the primary driver of broiler and layer flock profitability, since feed is typically 60-70% of total production cost. This calculator takes target market weight, feed conversion ratio, and feed price to compute total feed consumed per bird, feed cost per bird, and cost per pound of live weight produced, which is the number to compare directly against your expected live sale or processed price. Modern commercial broiler FCR at 6-7 weeks commonly runs 1.5-1.7, while smaller-scale or pastured operations often run 2.2-2.8 due to slower-growing breeds and outdoor energy expenditure.", "formula": "Feed consumed/bird = market weight × FCR; feed cost/bird = feed consumed × feed price/lb; cost per lb live weight = feed cost/bird ÷ market weight.", "dateModified": "2026-09-30", "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=poultry-feed-conversion-cost", "inputs": [ { "id": "birds", "label": "Number of birds", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 500, "unit": null, "min": 1, "max": null }, { "id": "marketWeight", "label": "Target market weight", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 5.5, "unit": "lb", "min": 0.5, "max": null }, { "id": "fcr", "label": "Feed conversion ratio", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 1.9, "unit": null, "min": 1.2, "max": 4 }, { "id": "feedPriceLb", "label": "Feed price", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 0.28, "unit": "$/lb", "min": 0.05, "max": null }, { "id": "otherCostBird", "label": "Chick + other non-feed cost", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 3.2, "unit": "$/bird", "min": 0, "max": null } ], "outputs": [ { "id": "costPerLb", "label": "Total cost per lb of live weight", "format": "currency", "hint": null, "primary": true }, { "id": "feedCostBird", "label": "Feed cost per bird", "format": "currency", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "totalCostBird", "label": "Total cost per bird", "format": "currency", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "totalFlockCost", "label": "Total cost for the flock", "format": "currency", "hint": null, "primary": false } ], "worked_example": { "inputs": [ "Number of birds: 500", "Target market weight: 5.5 lb", "Feed conversion ratio: 1.9", "Feed price: 0.28 $/lb", "Chick + other non-feed cost: 3.2 $/bird" ], "outputs": [ "Total cost per lb of live weight: $1.114", "Feed cost per bird: $2.93", "Total cost per bird: $6.13", "Total cost for the flock: $3,063" ] }, "how_to": { "title": "How to use this", "steps": [ "Enter number of birds.", "Enter target market weight (lb).", "Enter feed conversion ratio.", "Enter feed price ($/lb).", "Enter chick + other non-feed cost ($/bird).", "Read your total cost per lb of live weight on the right — it updates as you type.", "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone." ] }, "scenarios": [ { "name": "Conservative", "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?", "values": { "birds": 300, "marketWeight": 3.3, "fcr": 1.2, "feedPriceLb": 0.168, "otherCostBird": 1.92 } }, { "name": "Typical", "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.", "values": { "birds": 500, "marketWeight": 5.5, "fcr": 1.9, "feedPriceLb": 0.28, "otherCostBird": 3.2 } }, { "name": "Ambitious", "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?", "values": { "birds": 800, "marketWeight": 8.8, "fcr": 3.04, "feedPriceLb": 0.44800000000000006, "otherCostBird": 5.120000000000001 } } ], "limitations": [ "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.", "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.", "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant." ], "faq": [ { "q": "Why is pasture-raised FCR so much worse than commercial confinement?", "a": "Birds outdoors burn calories on movement and thermoregulation that confined birds don't, and slower-growing heritage or dual-purpose breeds simply convert feed to muscle less efficiently than fast-growing commercial hybrids. That's a tradeoff for flavor, welfare positioning, and market premium, not a management failure." }, { "q": "How much does feed price volatility affect this?", "a": "Directly and linearly — since feed cost per bird scales straight with feed price, a 20% jump in corn and soybean meal prices raises feed cost per bird by roughly 20% with FCR held constant, which is why locking in feed contracts matters more as flock size scales up." }, { "q": "What FCR should I expect at different ages?", "a": "FCR creeps up the longer you feed a bird past its efficient growth window — a broiler at 6 weeks might run 1.6-1.8 FCR, but the same bird pushed to 10-12 weeks for a larger roaster size can climb to 2.3-2.6 because maintenance energy needs eat a bigger share of intake as growth rate slows." }, { "q": "Does this include mortality?", "a": "No, this is per-bird at market weight assuming that bird survives. To get a true flock cost, divide total feed and other costs by birds actually sold, not birds started, since typical mortality of 3-8% means the survivors effectively absorb the feed spent on birds that didn't make it to market." } ], "related": [ "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dairy-feed-cost-per-cwt", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/feedlot-cost-of-gain", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aquaculture-pond-stocking-density" ], "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "citation": "RevenueLab — Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/poultry-feed-conversion-cost)" }