The extra kilo of feed

You open the last bag intended for the flock. And your chickens do not yet have the weight.

You need to buy more bags. But where has the feed gone? To find out, one number is enough.

This number has a name, the feed conversion ratio. The feed consumed, divided by the weight of chicken produced.

It indicates how much feed is required for one kilo of chicken. The lower it is, the better your feed performs.

For a chicken weighing one kilo eight, the standard of the breed requires just under two and a half kilos of feed.

In Côte d'Ivoire, we rather observe three and a half kilos. One kilo more, without an extra gram of meat.

For a thousand chickens, that amounts to a tonne. Twenty bags of fifty kilos, lost for the meat.

Put the price of your bag against these twenty bags. No buyer will pay you for that kilo.

This kilo leaks through six holes. I will show you each one. Each can be blocked at your place.

First leak, the feed. A formula rich in protein guarantees nothing if the useful amino acids are lacking.

Second leak, the heat. When it pants, its growth drops faster than its appetite.

Third leak, the waste. A feeder too full, or placed too low, and part of the feed ends up in the litter.

What falls to the ground counts in your bags, never in your kilos sold.

Fourth leak, a failed start. A delay taken in the first week costs at sale, in extra days of feed.

Fifth leak, the duration. At seven days, the breed's ratio remains below one. At forty-two days, it exceeds one and a half.

Between thirty-five and forty-two days, each kilo gained requires nearly two kilos of feed. This is where the tail end of the flock hurts the most.

Sixth leak, the heterogeneous batch. The smaller ones stay longer in the chicken coop, and eat for fewer kilos at sale.

Each of these leaks has its own lesson in this series. And above all, they add up on the same flock.

Your ratio is calculated with two numbers. The empty bags of the flock, and the kilos sold.

Sold by head without a scale, the second number is missing. Another reason to sell by the kilo.

And at your place, how many bags for a hundred chickens sold? Have you already counted it, flock after flock?

Calculate your ratio and send it to us. Our WhatsApp information is 05 44 83 27 79. The flock record book provided keeps track of your bags and your kilos.

Orders for chicks at 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe, we will then learn to weigh for management.

Six qualities of day-old chicks, here in Agnibilékrou. With Nextekci, every customer is a satisfied poultry farmer.