Free tool · Poultry
FCR Calculator for Poultry
Enter your birds, average weight and total feed to get your feed conversion ratio instantly — with broiler benchmark bands so you know where you stand.
1,000 birds × 2 kg = 2,000 kg live weight from 3,400 kg of feed. Lower FCR = less feed per kg of bird.
| FCR | Broiler benchmark (guidance) |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 | Excellent |
| 1.5 – 1.7 | Good |
| 1.7 – 1.9 | Average |
| > 1.9 | Room to improve |
Benchmarks are general broiler guidance and shift with breed, age and feed. Use the trend across batches, not a single number.
The FCR formula
Feed conversion ratio is how many kilograms of feed it takes to produce one kilogram of live bird:
FCR = total feed consumed (kg) ÷ total live weight produced (kg)
Total live weight is simply the birds alive multiplied by their average body weight. A lower FCR is better — it means less feed bought for the same weight of bird sold.
Worked example
A shed closes with 1,000 birds averaging 2.0 kg, having eaten 3,400 kg of feed:
- Total live weight = 1,000 × 2.0 = 2,000 kg
- Total feed = 3,400 kg
- FCR = 3,400 ÷ 2,000 = 1.70 — inside the “good” band
If the same shed had eaten 3,800 kg for the same weight, FCR would be 1.90 — 400 kg of extra feed for nothing. That gap, repeated across six to eight batches a year, is where poultry margins are quietly won or lost.
Broiler FCR benchmarks by age
Cumulative FCR rises naturally as birds age, because more feed goes into maintaining body weight rather than adding it. Indicative figures for modern commercial broilers:
| Age | Typical live weight (kg) | Cumulative FCR |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 0.17 – 0.20 | 0.85 – 0.95 |
| Week 2 | 0.45 – 0.50 | 1.05 – 1.15 |
| Week 3 | 0.90 – 1.00 | 1.20 – 1.30 |
| Week 4 | 1.45 – 1.60 | 1.35 – 1.45 |
| Week 5 | 2.05 – 2.25 | 1.50 – 1.60 |
| Week 6 | 2.70 – 2.95 | 1.60 – 1.72 |
| Week 7 | 3.30 – 3.60 | 1.75 – 1.88 |
Indicative industry ranges only. Real targets shift with breed, feed formulation, season and management — use your own batch history as the true benchmark.
Why FCR decides your profit
Feed is roughly 70% of the cost of growing a broiler, so FCR is the number that moves your margin most directly. A flock running 1.70 instead of 1.85 across a year of batches is real money kept — and for contract growers, better FCR and livability usually mean a larger growing charge.
What quietly wrecks FCR
Birds only convert feed efficiently when they are comfortable. The usual culprits:
- Wrong temperature for the age — cold birds burn feed staying warm; hot birds stop eating. See the broiler brooding temperature chart.
- Heat stress — intake collapses on hot afternoons. Check risk with the poultry THI calculator.
- High ammonia — above about 25 ppm it damages the airway and cuts growth. See ammonia monitoring.
- Feeder spillage — feed on the litter is bought and never eaten.
- Subclinical disease — often first visible as a drop in water intake, a day before birds look sick.
- Poor water quality — birds that drink less, eat less.
From a one-off number to a tracked trend
A calculator tells you the FCR you already achieved. The money is in catching the drift while the batch is still running — the hot afternoon, the stalled fan, the ammonia creep. Continuous monitoring watches the conditions that drive FCR and alerts you in time to act. See how it works on our poultry farm monitoring page.
FAQ
FCR calculator — common questions
How do you calculate FCR in poultry?
FCR = total feed consumed (kg) ÷ total live weight produced (kg). Total live weight is the number of birds alive multiplied by their average body weight. For example, 3,400 kg of feed for 1,000 birds averaging 2.0 kg each (2,000 kg live weight) gives an FCR of 1.70.
What is the formula for feed conversion ratio?
The formula is FCR = feed intake ÷ weight gain, both in the same unit (kg). In commercial broiler practice the denominator is usually total live weight of the birds sold rather than weight gain alone, so always check which basis a benchmark uses before comparing.
What is a good FCR for broilers?
As general guidance, an FCR at or below 1.5 is excellent, 1.5–1.7 is good, 1.7–1.9 is average, and above 1.9 has room to improve. The fair target depends on age and weight at sale — a bird taken to 2.5 kg will always show a higher FCR than one sold at 1.8 kg, so compare like with like.
Why does FCR rise as birds get older?
Young chicks convert feed very efficiently, but as birds grow they spend more energy on maintaining body weight rather than adding it. Cumulative FCR therefore climbs steadily through the cycle — roughly 0.9 in week one to around 1.8 by week seven — which is normal, not a fault.
What is the difference between FCR and adjusted FCR?
Adjusted FCR corrects the raw figure to a standard body weight so batches sold at different weights can be compared fairly. Without adjustment, a heavier batch looks worse purely because of age, even if it was managed better.
How can I improve my FCR?
Keep birds in their comfort zone: correct temperature for their age, good ventilation, ammonia below about 25 ppm, clean water and minimal heat stress all keep birds eating and converting efficiently. Reducing feed wastage at the feeders and preventing subclinical disease matter just as much as the feed itself.
Does FCR include dead birds?
Feed eaten by birds that later died still counts in the numerator, but their weight does not appear in the denominator — which is why high mortality worsens FCR sharply. This is why livability and FCR must be read together, not separately.