Feed Efficiency Monitor Calculator

Calculate Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Residual Feed Intake (RFI), and cost per pound of gain for beef cattle or other livestock.

Total feed consumed (lbs)

Total weight gain (lbs)

Average body weight (lbs)

Feeding period (days)

Feed cost ($/ton)

Number of head

Tab to move between fields

Feed Conversion Ratio

Residual Feed Intake (lbs)3,384.3

Cost per lb of gain$1.05

Total feed cost (herd)$63,000.00

Average daily gain (lb/day)8.57

Daily intake (lbs/day)60

Efficiency RatingAverage

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Total feed consumed (lbs), Total weight gain (lbs), and Average body weight (lbs).
Set Feeding period (days), Feed cost ($/ton), and Number of head.
Review the Feed Conversion Ratio result.
Use Residual Feed Intake (lbs) and Cost per lb of gain ($) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Total weight gain (lbs)

Total feed consumed (lbs): Total dry-matter intake over the feeding period for one animal.
Total weight gain (lbs): Weight gained during the feeding period.
Average body weight (lbs): Average body weight during the test period.
Feeding period (days): Length of the feed test or finishing period.
Feed cost ($/ton): Cost of feed per ton (2,000 lbs).
Number of head: Total animals in the group.

Feed Conversion Ratio: Lbs of feed per lb of gain. Lower is better (beef cattle: 5–8 typical).
Residual Feed Intake (lbs): Actual minus expected intake. Negative = more efficient than predicted.
Cost per lb of gain: Feed cost for each pound of weight gained.
Total feed cost (herd): Total feed expense for all head over the period.
Average daily gain (lb/day): Weight gain per day over the feeding period.
Daily intake (lbs/day): Average daily feed consumption per animal.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Total feed consumed (lbs) = 4200, Total weight gain (lbs) = 600, Average body weight (lbs) = 900, Feeding period (days) = 70 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Feed Conversion Ratio
Feed Conversion Ratio = feedConsumedLbs / weightGainLbs
7 = 7
Calculate Residual Feed Intake
Residual Feed Intake = feedConsumedLbs - expectedTotalIntake
3384.3 = 3384.3
Calculate Cost per lb of gain
Cost per lb of gain = (feedConsumedLbs * feedCostPerLb) / weightGainLbs
1.05 = $1.05