FCR Calculator — Feed Conversion Ratio
Calculate the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) for any animal production system — broilers, fish, pigs, or cattle — and see feed cost per kilogram of gain.
kg
kg
päivää
kg of feed per kg of weight gained — lower is more efficient
- 1
Total feed consumed
500 kg - 2
Live weight gained
250 kg - 3
Feed Conversion Ratio
500 ÷ 250 = 2FCR = feed consumed ÷ weight gained. Lower is more efficient.
Miten tämä laskin toimii?
FCR = kg of feed consumed ÷ kg of weight gained. Lower FCR means better efficiency: broilers target 1.5–2.0, fish 1.1–1.5, pigs 2.5–3.5, beef cattle 6–8. Multiply FCR by feed price per kg to get feed cost per kg of gain — feed is usually 60–80% of variable production costs.
Kaava
How this is calculated
The Feed Conversion Ratio is the most widely used efficiency metric in animal production. It simply divides the total weight of feed consumed by the total live weight gained over the same period. A broiler chicken that eats 4 kg of feed to grow from 40 g to 2,040 g (2 kg gain) has an FCR of 2.0: it converted 2 kg of feed into every 1 kg of body weight. Lower FCR always means better feed efficiency — more animal protein or growth per unit of feed cost.
Typical FCR benchmarks vary enormously across species. Modern broiler chickens commonly achieve 1.5–2.0; Atlantic salmon 1.1–1.5 (partly because fish are ectothermic and expend no energy on thermoregulation); pigs 2.5–3.5; and beef cattle 6–8 because ruminants must ferment fibrous feeds before absorbing nutrients, a much less efficient process. Feed quality, housing temperature, disease pressure, genetics, and management all influence the achieved FCR substantially.
Feed cost per kilogram of gain is FCR multiplied by the feed price per kilogram — a direct bridge from biological efficiency to economic performance. Because feed typically represents 60–80% of variable production costs in intensive animal agriculture, even a 0.1 improvement in FCR has significant economic impact at scale.
Usein kysytyt kysymykset
Modern commercial broilers typically achieve an FCR of 1.6–1.9 over a 35–42 day grow-out. Top-performing flocks can reach 1.5 or below with optimal feed formulation, genetics, and husbandry. Values above 2.2 generally indicate a problem — disease, poor feed quality, or environmental stress.
Fish are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and neutrally buoyant in water, so they expend almost no energy on thermoregulation or supporting their own weight against gravity. The energy from feed goes almost entirely to growth, giving them a biological efficiency advantage over pigs and cattle.
FCR and feed efficiency measure the same thing from opposite angles. FCR = feed ÷ gain (lower is better). Feed efficiency = gain ÷ feed × 100% (higher is better). An FCR of 2.0 corresponds to a feed efficiency of 50%. The poultry industry often uses feed efficiency; aquaculture and beef production more commonly use FCR.
Tunnetaan myös nimellä
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). FCR Calculator — Feed Conversion Ratio [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/fi/calculator/fcr-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "FCR Calculator — Feed Conversion Ratio." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/fi/calculator/fcr-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "FCR Calculator — Feed Conversion Ratio," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/fi/calculator/fcr-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_fcr_calculator, title = {FCR Calculator — Feed Conversion Ratio}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/fi/calculator/fcr-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
Oliko tästä laskimesta sinulle apua?