What are Broiler Performance Targets?

The key objectives of raising broilers for commercial reasons are to minimize costs and maximize profits. To achieve these objectives, you must ensure your birds are performing per the following performance targets.

Low Mortality Rate

As defined above, mortality is simply the incident of death of birds. When raising broilers, ensure that your mortality is very low. A mortality rate that is more than 4% of your starting stock means you are already on your way to financial loss.

The mortality rate broiler in chickens is normally high in the first week of life. It peaks after 4 days (0.5% max per day) and drops drastically and stabilizes after 10 days of life (0.05% max per day). The rate slowly increases again after 31 days.

For example, if you take stock of 100 broiler chicks, you should not lose more than 2 chicks within 4 days. Your total mortality rate after 10 days of age should not be more than 3 chicks. That is a total of 3% mortality rate.

Low Feed Conversion

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) tells you how well your birds are converting the feed given to them to live body weight. In other words, FCR is the quantity of feed consumed per unit of body weight. The formula to calculate FCR is Total Quantity of Feed Consumed ÷ Total Live Weight. For instance, if 100 broilers have a total weight of 250 kg and consumed 350 kg of feed, their FCR equals:

Quantity of Feed Consumed = 350 kg
Total live weight= 250 kg

FCR= 350 kg ÷ 250 kg = 1.4 (i.e. each chicken converted 1.4 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of body weight)

The standard feed conversion ratio for broilers is usually between 1.4 and 1.6. Also, the lower the FCR, the more efficient the birds are at converting feed into meat and vice versa.

Some factors influence FCR among a chicken flock. They include feed quality, chick quality, health status, age and management conditions. For instance, if a flock of broiler chickens are fed on low-quality feed (starter, grower or finisher), the FCR will be high because of the poor feed quality. It is also worth mentioning that as broilers grow older, their FCR also increases. This is why it is very crucial to provide them with high-quality feed in the first two weeks of their life.

Get our super special broiler feed formulas here!

Body Weight

The heavier your broilers, the higher their economic value. Hence, you need to do your best that your birds are growing well. At a particular age of broilers, there is a target weight that they are expected to meet or exceed in addition to the FCR. At the end of 4^th week of life, an excellently performing broiler flock must have an average weight of 1kg per bird with an FCR of 1.4-1.5.

The table below presents a summarised production target for broilers.

The table above is simply a guide and should not be used as a standard for your chickens. You should consult your hatchery for the performance targets of your birds.

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