Estimate feed use, feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed efficiency, cost of gain, bag duration, and feed budget for livestock and poultry. Choose a species preset, then adjust every value to match your feed tag, records, ration, and production system.
Presets are editable starting points. Verify against feed tags or extension recommendations.
Leave blank to use expected daily gain.
Used for bag duration and bag/sack pricing.
Enter up to three feeds. Intake and gain are per animal per day in the selected mass unit.
Enter feed and gain values, then calculate FCR and cost of gain.
| Rank | Feed | Note | Cost / Day | Cost / Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed comparison appears after calculation. | ||||
Feed cost planning and feed conversion are related but not identical. A ration can look cheap per bag and still be expensive if animals need more of it or gain slowly. This calculator estimates the feed handled, the feed likely eaten after waste, dry-matter feed, FCR, feed efficiency, cost per unit of gain, bag duration, and cost per finished animal.
The species presets are only starting values. Broilers, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, laying hens, and horses have very different intake patterns and useful outcomes. Adjust the numbers to match your actual animals, feed form, weight records, and days on feed.
Use as-fed values when you are budgeting purchased feed. Use dry matter when comparing feeds with different moisture levels, such as pellets, grain mixes, hay, silage, or wet byproducts. Waste and shrink are charged to the budget because spilled, spoiled, or dusty feed still costs money even if it does not become animal gain.
Inputs: 100 broilers, 1,000 lb feed, 42 days, 0.1 lb start, 5.5 lb finish.
Formula: FCR = 1,000 / ((5.5 - 0.1) x 100).
Result: FCR is about 1.85 lb feed per lb gain.
Takeaway: Small changes in feed waste or final weight can move flock economics quickly.
Inputs: 25 hens, 0.25 lb per hen per day, 50 lb bag, $19 per bag.
Formula: daily cost = 25 x 0.25 x ($19 / 50).
Result: about $2.38 per day, before treats, oyster shell, or waste.
Takeaway: Layers are usually budgeted by eggs and daily feed cost, not body-weight FCR.
Inputs: 10 cattle, 22 lb each per day, 60 days, 2.5 lb average daily gain, $0.18 per lb feed.
Formula: cost per gain = feed cost / total gain.
Result: feed cost is $237.60 per day and cost of gain is about $9.50 per lb.
Takeaway: Always compare cost of gain with ration quality and market targets.
Inputs: 20 pigs, 5.5 lb each per day, 110 days, 80 lb start, 250 lb finish.
Formula: FCR = total feed eaten / total gain.
Result: about 3.56 lb feed per lb gain before waste adjustment.
Takeaway: A higher-priced ration may win if it improves gain enough.
Inputs: 12 animals, 3 lb each per day, 50 lb bag, $18 per bag.
Formula: monthly feed = 12 x 3 x 30.
Result: about 1,080 lb per month, or 21.6 bags.
Takeaway: Pasture or hay can reduce bagged feed, but include it if you want total diet FCR.
A good FCR depends on species, age, genetics, feed quality, and production system. Broilers and grower pigs often have lower FCR than cattle, sheep, goats, horses, or mature laying hens. Use the calculator result as a farm estimate and compare it with breed, feed tag, integrator, or extension benchmarks for your situation.
Calculate total feed cost for the period, then divide it by total weight gained. In this calculator, total feed cost includes the feed handled or purchased, so waste and shrink increase the cost per unit of gain.
Use as-fed values when budgeting the feed you buy or handle. Use dry matter values when comparing feeds with different moisture levels, because water can make one feed look less efficient than another.
Waste varies widely by feeder design, storage, weather, animal behavior, fines, and spoilage. Start with your measured shrink if you have records; otherwise use a small placeholder and update it after tracking feed delivered versus feed actually eaten.
Pasture and forage reduce purchased-feed intake but may still contribute dry matter and nutrients. Enter only the feed you want to cost, or include an estimated forage intake if you are calculating total biological FCR.
Enter the price unit as bag, sack, pound, kilogram, hundredweight, or ton. The calculator normalizes the price to cost per pound and cost per kilogram so bagged and bulk quotes can be compared on the same basis.
A cheaper feed can cost more per unit of gain if animals eat more of it, waste more, or gain less because of lower energy, protein, digestibility, or ration fit. Compare both cost per day and cost per gain.
Yes. All computations run locally in your browser.
The calculator uses arithmetic farm-budget formulas: feed handled, estimated feed eaten after waste, dry matter feed, gain over the feeding period, and normalized feed price. It does not formulate rations, predict health outcomes, or replace professional nutrition advice.
Treat benchmark ranges as context, not a grade. FCR can change with water content, feed form, genetics, age, heat stress, disease pressure, pasture intake, and whether the calculation uses live weight, carcass weight, eggs, milk, or body-weight gain.
Feed intake, conversion, and cost of gain vary by species, weather, life stage, forage availability, health, and ration quality. Use feed labels, extension guidance, and veterinary or nutrition advice for final ration planning.
