What is FCR - Feed Conversion Ratio?
FCR stands for Feed Conversion Ratio. FCR is an effective way to measure the productivity of livestock by comparing the input (feed) required to produce an output (meat, eggs, etc). FCR provides farmers with a key performance metric to help evaluate the productivity and potential return on investment of an animal. It also can help a farmer to experiment with different feed types, species, and inputs to determine how they may impact the animal FCR and ultimately its productivity.
It's important to note that the calculations for FCR vary depending on the type of livestock and what is being produced.
For example:
For animals raised for meat - Feed Conversion Rate measures the feed required for the animal to gain 1 pound or kilogram of body weight
For dairy animals - FCR looks at the feed required to produce 1 gallon or liter of milk
For layer poultry - FCR most often looks at the amount of feed required for your flock to produce 1 dozen eggs.
Benefits of Tracking Feed Conversion Ratio
Tracking Feed Conversion Ratios for your livestock is an important aspect of understanding the productivity and profitability of your livestock business.
Regularly measuring and evaluating your animal's FCR can help you to:
Evaluate if an animal is likely a poor producer, which may impact their breeding potential
Identify animals that may be in poor health or have other environmental aspects affecting their productivity
Determine profitable sales prices that factor in the cost of your inputs to produce your yields
Estimate feed needs and cost for livestock (which is often about 70% of your production costs)
Test and compare the efficiency and impact of different feeds
Better understand the overall profitability of your operation and make informed decisions about animals, grazing patterns, and feed types
Increase or decrease supplements
Compare your livestock to species or industry production benchmarks to understand how well your animals are performing
How to Calculate Feed Conversion Ratio
The Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is calculated using the following formula:
FCR Formula
For animals raised for meat, FCR is calculated as:
FCR = Total feed consumed (lbs/kg) / Total animal weight (lbs/kg)Total weight = final weight of animal – starting weight animal during that period. Farmers may evaluate FCR for both live and hang weights of animals to determine different production ratios.
For dairy animals, FCR is calculated as:
FCR = Total feed consumed (lbs/kg) / Total milk produced (gallons/liters) in that periodFor layer poultry, FCR is typically calculated as:
FCR = Total feed consumed (lbs/kg) / Eggs produced (dozens) in that periodFCR can be calculated on a rolling bases, where you evaluate the total amount feed compared to the weight gained in that period (month, year, etc)
Factors Influencing FCR
Let's take a look at some of the factors that can influence Feed Conversion Ratios results:
Animal overall health and well-being
Environmental conditions the animal is exposed to (temperature, light, adequate space, water, etc)
Quality and nutrition of feed
Grazing patterns and forage quality
Stage of animal's growth (FCR is very different for a calf than for a nursing cow)
Different animal genetics of species variations
Feed Conversion Ratios for Different Animals
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that different livestock types have different average Feed Conversion Ratios. These averages can also vary by breed.
Here's some common livestock animal types and their average FCR:
Animal Type | Average FCR |
Cattle | 8.0 - 12.0 |
Goats | 4.5 - 5.5 on high quality feed or forage and 30 on straw ration |
Sheep | 4.5 - 5.5 on high quality feed or forage and 30 on straw ration |
Pig | 3.0 - 3.9 |
Broiler Chickens | 1.5 - 2.0 |
Layer Chickens | 330 - 360 eggs/year |
Rabbits | 3.5 - 5.0 |
How to Improve Feed Conversion Ratio
As we talked about previously FCR helps to evaluate the productivity of your animals based on their ability to convert feed into yield. But, before making changes to try and improve an animal's FCR it's important to get an accurate FCR baseline for the animal and compare it to industry and species averages.
Depending on the potential cause for an animal's poor FCR score here are a few ideas on how to potentially improve their Feed Conversion Ratio:
Ensure the animals have a safe, comfortable environment and housing with proper light, temperature, and space requirements.
Monitor and track body condition scores to help determine animal health.
Regularly monitor animal health and stay current on vaccinations.
Feed livestock the correct diet at the right portions based on the animal's growth stage and other nutritional needs to ensure they can absorb the most nutritional value from their food.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) Calculator
Summary
Hopefully, this article provides you with some additional background and insight into the value of tracking key animal metrics like Feed Conversion Ratios. Understanding your livestock's health and growth is critical to ensuring high-quality products and strong profits.
Farmbrite is a complete farm and livestock management system. If you're interested in simplifying the tracking and management of your livestock data, check out Farmbrite to streamline livestock health, growth, feeding, breeding, and other key records - including automating FCR reporting for you.