Broiler Batch Record: Feed Conversion and Mortality Tracking

A broiler batch is short, and every day counts. If you wait for the sale to learn how the batch went, it is too late to change anything. A simple daily record lets you see trouble while it is still small and gives you the numbers to compare one batch with the next. This guide explains what to record, how to calculate feed conversion and mortality and how to use the results without over-reading them.

What to record every day

• Birds alive: opening count, deaths, culls and closing count.
• Mortality reason: as far as you can tell, such as weak chicks, leg problems, heat stress or unknown. Leave "unknown" when it is unknown.
• Feed: bags or kilograms issued to the shed, and the feed type, such as starter, grower or finisher.
• Water and temperature notes: if you track them, a brief comment is enough.
• Treatments and vaccination: what was given, the date and who gave it, following your veterinarian's plan.

Once a week, weigh a sample of birds, not just a handful of the largest. Weigh the same number each time and write the average. This is the only way to know whether growth follows the target for the breed.

Calculating mortality percentage

Mortality percentage is total deaths and culls divided by the number of chicks placed, times one hundred. Track it cumulatively and also by week. A flat low line is good; a jump in the first week suggests chick quality or brooding problems, and a jump late in the batch suggests other pressures. The pattern matters as much as the final percentage.

Do not compare your farm with a number from a poster. Compare it with your own previous batches in the same shed and season. Cold months, hot months and festival months behave differently, and your own history is the fair benchmark.

Calculating feed conversion ratio

Feed conversion ratio, often called FCR, is total feed eaten divided by total live weight produced. If a batch consumed a given weight of feed and the birds together weighed a given amount at sale, divide the first by the second. A lower number means the birds turned feed into meat more efficiently.

1. Add up all feed issued to the batch, in kilograms, minus any feed left unused or returned.
2. Work out total live weight sold, including birds sold at different ages if you sell in lots.
3. Divide feed by weight.

Feed spillage, rat loss and theft raise the apparent FCR. If the number looks poor, check feed handling before blaming the breed.

What the numbers can and cannot tell you

Numbers point to where to look. A high FCR can come from feed quality, feed waste, disease, heat, water, ventilation or poor chick quality. Software will not decide which one, but it narrows the search. If three batches in one shed have poor FCR and the other shed does well, look at that shed. If both do poorly after changing feed brand, the brand is a suspect.

Do not chase a single metric. A very low mortality with slow growth or a short cycle with heavy waste can hide problems. Read mortality, FCR, average weight and days to sale together, then add cost and sale value to find profit.

Cost per bird and profit

Cost per bird adds chick price, feed cost, medicine, labour, electricity, heating fuel, litter, transport and your own farm overheads, divided by birds sold. Profit per bird is the sale price per bird minus that cost. Some farmers forget family labour and the shed's rent equivalent; include them at least once to know the true picture, even if you do not pay them in cash.

A daily routine that works

1. Morning: count mortality, record feed given, note anything unusual.
2. Midday: check water, temperature and ventilation as your routine requires.
3. Evening: enter the day's numbers, check the feed stock against the plan.
4. Weekly: weigh a sample, compare to target, review mortality trend.
5. At sale: record weights and buyers, and amounts paid and due.

Closing the batch

When the last bird leaves, close the batch the same week. Post any remaining costs, record the sales and review the report. Write two or three lines of what you will change next time: feed, brooding, stocking density, sale age. After three or four batches these notes become more valuable than any advice you can read elsewhere.

Seasons and the shed environment

Nepal's seasons change the numbers more than most farmers expect. In the cold months brooding costs rise and chicks may huddle; in the hot months birds eat less and heat stress can raise mortality; in the rains, damp litter and feed storage become the main worries. Record the season and any unusual weather beside the batch so that the next time you plan a placement you can compare like with like. Also note power cuts that affected heating, lights or fans, because they explain results better than the average ever will.

Where software helps

A notebook can do all of this, but software removes the arithmetic and keeps every batch in one list for comparison. Feed stock is reduced automatically, mortality percentage updates itself and the profit report is ready when you close the batch. It also reminds your worker when a scheduled vaccination or weighing is due.

The WebsNP poultry farm software keeps this batch record on a phone-friendly screen. If your farm also sells dressed chicken through a shop, see POS billing software for the counter. Message us on WhatsApp to try a sample batch with your own sheds.

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