From many years the livestock industry is moving towards efficient ways of feed utilization in order to maximize the output product. To achieve this livestock industry needs dependable indicators to figure out the performance of livestock after ingesting the feed. Means how efficiently livestock has converted the feed into the desired product. For example, if animals are raised for meat then the desired output product is flesh. In the case of a dairy farm, the desired output product is milk. While in the case of layer farming the output is egg production.
Feed efficiency is generally divided into two categories
- Feed Conversion Efficiency (FCE)
- Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
FCR is mostly used in poultry. It is the ratio of feed taken by a bird to the live weight. FCR is a unit less quantity and a ratio of 1:1 is considered to be ideal in poultry. A bird with low FCR is considered to be efficient in producing live weight.
Why Do Farmers Need to Find FCR?
FCR is basically a guideline which helps farmers to save the feed cost and gets maximum live weight. By using FCR the farmers will be able to:
- Compare the birds in terms of feed conversion. i.e efficient feed converter or poor feed converter
- Compare various feeds in terms of efficiency
- Determine the required amount of feed a bird needs in it’s complete growing cycle
- Determine the cost of feed
How Can Farmers Achieve an Ideal FCR?
As we know small variation in FCR may result in financial penalty. So in order to achieve an ideal FCR, first we need to understand where the problems exist. I mean which factors can affect the FCR.
Feed Management from Brooding to Adult
Brooding period (1st 7 to 10 days) is crucial. During this period heat loss of body is very low or almost zero. So birds can utilize maximum feed.
By providing an adequate feeding amount and space to chicks, farmers can achieve good FCR. Following steps can be advantageous for best results.
- Height of feeders should be adjusted regularly according to bird size. So it can access the feed easily
- It’s important to fill the feeders with expected intake of the bird. Excessive filling causes the feed wastage and results in high FCR
NAVfarm ERP software provides full control over the feed. By using NAVfarm ERP software the farmers can monitor feed requirement according to diet. It provides weight and food graphs based on flock and available feed space. This feature assists farmers to understand the feed requirement on a daily or weekly cycle.
In addition to this feed casting feature of NAV help farmers to observe the FCR results even if they have more than one farm. They can also see separate results for each farm.
Temperature Impacts Feed Intake
Temperature is another important entity that impact FCR. If temperature increases more than comfortable level of the bird. The bird will reduce the feed intake. Hence growth becomes slow and FCR increases. On the other hand if temperature decreases than comfort level of bird. Bird will take more feed to maintain body temperature and growth will be slow. So by maintaining the temperature farmers can reach to an ideal level.
Hatchery management system of NAVfarm help farmers to keep a close eye on various parameters including temperature from incubators to adult chicken. The mobile application provides a real-time information and alert farmers in case of any danger. So increase your productivity with NAVfarm software.
Precise Nutrients in Feeding
It is necessary to keep the feeding process according to bird’s requirements. Today with the help of technology and research we can determine the exact requirement of amino acids in feed. If farmers maintain high precision of amino acids in the feed, it is possible to transmute all protein into flesh. Hence maximum live weight can be achieved.