Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
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
$3,063
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter number of birds.
- 2Enter target market weight (lb).
- 3Enter feed conversion ratio.
- 4Enter feed price ($/lb).
- 5Enter chick + other non-feed cost ($/bird).
- 6Read your total cost per lb of live weight on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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
Results
- 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: $3,063
What each field means
Inputs
- Number of birds
- The number of birds used in the calculation. Starts at 500 so you have a working example on load.
- Target market weight (lb)
- The target market weight used in the calculation, measured in lb. Starts at 5.5 lb so you have a working example on load.
- Feed conversion ratio
- The feed conversion ratio used in the calculation. Starts at 1.9 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1.2–4.
- Feed price ($/lb)
- The feed price used in the calculation, measured in $/lb. Starts at 0.28 $/lb so you have a working example on load.
- Chick + other non-feed cost ($/bird)
- The chick + other non-feed cost used in the calculation, measured in $/bird. Starts at 3.2 $/bird so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total cost per lb of live weight
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Feed cost per bird
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost per bird
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost for the flock
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why is pasture-raised FCR so much worse than commercial confinement?
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.
How much does feed price volatility affect this?
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.
What FCR should I expect at different ages?
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.
Does this include mortality?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/poultry-feed-conversion-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/poultry-feed-conversion-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Poultry Feed Conversion Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/poultry-feed-conversion-cost) (2026).