Poultry feed conversion happens fast and the margins are thin, so tracking feed cost per bird accurately across a full growing or laying cycle matters more than in almost any other livestock enterprise. This tool multiplies bird count by daily feed intake, feed price, and the length of the production period to give you total feed spend for the cycle.
Total Feed Cost = Number of Birds × Feed per Bird per Day (kg) × Feed Price per kg × Number of Days in the Period. Because broiler intake rises sharply as birds grow, using an average daily intake across the cycle (rather than starter-phase intake) gives a more realistic total.
| Age | Average Daily Intake | Feed Type |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 15-20 g/bird | Starter crumbs |
| Weeks 2-3 | 45-70 g/bird | Starter/grower |
| Weeks 4-5 | 100-130 g/bird | Grower |
| Week 6+ | 140-160 g/bird | Finisher |
For a batch of 1,000 broilers over a 42-day cycle, with average intake of 95 g/bird/day and feed at PKR 190/kg: Total feed cost = 1,000 × 0.095 × 190 × 42 = PKR 758,100 for the cycle, or roughly PKR 758 per bird just in feed. Compare this against your expected sale weight and price using the Poultry Profit Calculator to check your margin before placing the chick order.
A commercial broiler flock finishing at 42 days should target an FCR of 1.6-1.8 (kg of feed per kg of live weight gained). FCR above 2.0 usually points to disease, poor ventilation, or feed wastage.
No. Layers eat a fairly steady 110-120 g/day throughout their laying life, while broiler intake climbs from about 15 g/day at hatch to 150+ g/day near market weight, which is why this calculator uses an average across the whole period rather than a single daily figure.
Even well-managed operations lose 3-5% of feed to spillage; poorly designed feeders or overfilling can push this to 15%. Reducing feeder height mismatches and not overfilling troughs is the cheapest way to close this gap.
Generally no — abrupt ration changes can trigger a growth check and digestive upset that costs more in lost weight gain than the feed savings. If you need to switch, do it gradually over 3-4 days blended with the previous feed.