FCR Calculator

[bigredfeather]

I wanted to keep record and figure out exactly how much money I had in my first batch of Cornish X's. I have played around with an Excel spreadsheet to come up with this.

[/img]

The spreadsheet allows me to enter the number of chicks and there weight. In the second box, I enter my lbs of feed and the cost of feed. It will add the lbs and $ up and convert to FCR. The price per lb is also figured as you change the weight or add more feed.

My chickens will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and I have 100 lbs of feed sitting in the barn. The weights I have shown are estimated dressed weight. I could be being very optomistic. I will not know the true FCR and price per pound until we get them all back and weighed. I have found out by playing around with this that if you loose one late in the game, it has a signficant effect on both FCR and $/lb. I have amorized my equipment over several batches to try and ease the pricing a bit. Some of the stuff I have included in equipment, I will use for my hens later. I included it anyway.

One assumption I made was in determing FCR was that you use dressed weight, not live weight. Is that assumption correct?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Well, using dressed weight would make sense if you are trying to determine the advantage of raising your own meat vs. buying chicken at the grocery store.

If the price to raise them per pound (when dressed) is higher than the price per pound of dressed meat at the store, then it's cheaper to buy them at the store.

 

[bigredfeather]

I think it was Greyfields that said it best when I first started asking about raising butchering chickens. "If you're in it to get cheap meat, you might as well quit right now. The advantage is knowing where your food came from and what it ate." Which is why I wanted to raise butching chickens.

By the end of next week, that price per pound will drop. Like I said, they have 100 lbs of feed sitting in the barn. When that feed is gone, and they gain the resulting weight, the $/lb will go down. My prediction is that it will be in the neighborhood of $1-$1.10 per pound at the end. This price will be accurate as long as they don't start dropping like flies the next few weeks. If you take out the processing, it drops it about 20 cents per pound. If I do another batch, I am going to consider dressing myself.

 

[greyfields]

The FCR is calculated on live weight. Then assume they dress at 2/3 the liveweight.

Here are the categories I use for my calculations:

Cost of Bird
Food
Slaughter
Shelter
Portable Electric
Fountains
Ranger Feeder
Brooder Lamps
Brooder Bulbs
Insurance
Farm Market feed (10% of retail)

The hardware is averaged over 2 years assuming 200 per year.

Your comment on mortality is really astute. Losing birds, especially late on, kills your pricing. It's important to not hvae losses, yet at hte same time treating sick animals will cost you even more than just letting them die.

 

[bigredfeather]

Took these pictures today. They will be six weeks on Tuesday.

[/img]

[/img]

How much would your guess they weigh? They're all pullets.

 

[pdpatch]

I would guess that if your doing small batches, that your cost will be more then at the store. Since you can't get the same prices for small guantities of feed that you can for larger guantities.

Also your equipment cost are higher when you buy small guantities of things.

Personally I belieive the cost to raise meat birds for the small flock owner is not a good reason to do it.

But if you compare prices to humanly raised or free ranged or organic poultry you would be better off, the commercially raised poultry.

Tom

 

[Brunty_Farms]

They look to weigh about 3-3.5 lbs dressed weight at the moment and they look great for 6 weeks. Your right with the program on raising healthy broilers! Clean water and bedding.... plenty of space.... good lighting.... Your doing a great job.

Now just pray that mother nature can keep them healthy till the end as you've done your part.

Good Job,

 

[bigredfeather]

Thank you for the compliment. It feels good to here an expirienced person complimenting my efforts for my first batch. If it weren't for all the expirienced members of the BYC, I don't think I would be at the point I am right now. I too hope they all make it. Next Tuesday I will be getting the largest ones butchered (probably 10 of them), then the rest won't be dressed until January 7th. That will put those at 9 weeks old. This has been my plan since the start. I really think feeding 12/12 has made a difference. They seem much more energetic and active. Yesterday, as I was getting them their feed, one of them jumped and flew up almost 4 feet high. I think she was really hungry.

Thanks again! I am going to post my FCR sheet when they are all dressed and preserved.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Quote:
This is interesting. What kind of feed did you use?

 

[bigredfeather]

I used an 18% chick Grower/Finisher from my local feed mill.