Cost of producing 1 kg of live weight
What does a kilogram of live weight really cost you? The cost of 1 kg is simple to work out: take all the costs of one batch and divide them by the live weight you actually produced. We show the formula in words, all the cost components (chick, feed, energy, drugs, labour, losses), a worked example on market prices and how to compare the result with the purchase price to see your margin.
verifiedFrom the team that has organised work on poultry farms for years.
What exactly we calculate and why
The cost of producing 1 kg of live weight is the single most important number in broiler farming — it tells you what one kilogram of bird costs you before you sell it to the buyer. We work it out simply: add all the costs of one batch and divide by the live weight you actually produced (number of birds sold times their average weight). Only setting this cost against the purchase price shows whether the batch earned or you topped up. Our batch margin calculator does the same — here we focus on the unit cost itself.
The formula in words
The formula is a single sentence: cost of 1 kg of live weight = total batch costs ÷ live weight produced (in kg). Total costs are everything you spent from placement to sale. Live weight produced is not the number of chicks placed but the real weight of the birds that survived to sale — which is why losses (mortality) raise the unit cost, even though the dead birds still cost a chick and part of the feed.
What the batch cost is made of
The total batch cost has six main items: chicks (price per head times number placed), feed for the whole cycle (usually the largest item), energy (heating, electricity, ventilation), drugs and prevention, labour (own or hired) and other running costs — litter, water, disinfection, equipment depreciation. The recipe and feed cost are best worked out separately — the feed recipe calculator helps, and the choice between own mix and ready-made is covered in own vs ready-made feed.
Why calculate it — for decisions, not trivia
Knowing the cost of 1 kg of live weight is not trivia but the basis for decisions: whether to sign a contract at a given price, whether scaling up pays off, where to look for savings. If the cost is e.g. PLN 4.50/kg and the buyer pays PLN 4.80/kg, your margin is 30 gr per kilogram — and you immediately see how sensitive the result is to feed price or losses. The wider profitability picture is in the guide how much you can earn from poultry farming.
We calculate from your data in DlaFerm.pl
The hardest part of this sum is honestly gathering all the costs and the real live weight from a specific batch. DlaFerm.pl does it for you: you keep a digital Flock Card where you record placements, feed, drugs, losses and sales, and the app totals the cost of 1 kg after sign-up. So you do not estimate by eye but from your own data — and DlaFerm.pl can file your mandatory IRZplus flock records for you, automatically, if you want.
How to calculate the cost of 1 kg of live weight — six steps
From gathering data to a finished result in PLN per kilogram. Go through these six steps on your own batch, then compare the result with the purchase price.
Gather data from the whole batch
Write down everything from one cycle: number of chicks placed and price per head, feed usage and price, energy cost (gas/electricity for heating and ventilation), drugs and vaccinations, labour and other (litter, water, disinfection). Note the losses too, and the number of birds sold with their average weight. The more honest the data, the more reliable the result — easiest to collect it as you go in the digital Flock Card.
Write down the formula
Cost of 1 kg of live weight = total batch costs ÷ live weight produced (kg). You calculate the live weight produced as: number of birds sold × average weight of one bird. Note: the denominator is the weight of birds sold, not placed — that is why losses raise the unit cost.
Take example data (market prices)
Take a batch of 20,000 broilers. We assume indicative market (public) prices: chick PLN 2.50/head, feed PLN 1.80/kg, FCR 1.65 (kg feed per kg gain), slaughter weight 2.4 kg, losses 4%. Energy, drugs, labour and other we estimate together at about PLN 0.70 per kilogram produced. These are indicative figures — in the app you will enter your own.
Substitute into the formula
Birds sold: 20,000 − 4% = 19,200. Live weight: 19,200 × 2.4 kg = 46,080 kg. Chicks: 20,000 × PLN 2.50 = PLN 50,000. Feed: 46,080 kg × 1.65 (FCR) × PLN 1.80 = PLN 136,858. Other costs: 46,080 kg × PLN 0.70 = PLN 32,256. Total batch cost ≈ PLN 219,114.
Read the result (PLN/kg)
Cost of 1 kg of live weight = PLN 219,114 ÷ 46,080 kg ≈ PLN 4.76/kg. That is your unit cost in this batch. Note that feed (≈ PLN 137k) is the bulk of the cost — so even a small change in FCR or feed price shifts the result. You can recalculate the recipe in the feed recipe calculator.
Compare with the purchase price and work out the margin
Set the cost against the purchase price. At a cost of PLN 4.76/kg and a purchase price of PLN 5.00/kg the margin is PLN 0.24 per kilogram, i.e. ≈ PLN 11,000 from the whole batch. If the buyer paid PLN 4.60/kg — you top up. The full revenue and cost sum for the batch is in the batch margin calculator.
Norms and tips for the cost of 1 kg of live weight
A few patterns to make your sum honest rather than wishful. These are general pointers — always calculate the result on your own data.
Feed is usually 60–70% of the cost
In broiler fattening feed usually accounts for most of the cost of producing 1 kg of live weight — roughly 60–70%. This means the biggest savings and the biggest risks sit in feed. So it is worth working out the feed price and composition separately in the feed recipe calculator, and thinking through the “own mix or ready-made” decision with own vs ready-made feed.
FCR and losses drive the result
Two indicators move the cost most: FCR (kg feed per kg gain) and losses. A lower FCR means less feed for the same kilogram of live weight, i.e. a lower cost. Higher losses reduce the weight in the denominator of the formula, so the unit cost rises — and the dead birds still cost a chick and part of the feed. Good flock management in the Flock Card helps you watch both.
Use public, current prices for inputs
For the sum use market, public and current prices: chick price, feed or component price (wheat, soybean meal, concentrate), gas and electricity price. Grain and feed prices change seasonally, so a sum from six months ago may no longer fit. Note prices at every purchase — then you calculate the cost from real values, not remembered ones.
Common mistakes: skipped losses and labour
Two mistakes understate the cost and give false optimism. First: counting weight from placed birds rather than sold ones — it skips losses and understates the cost of 1 kg. Second: skipping labour (especially your own work) and small costs like litter, disinfection, water or equipment depreciation. These “small things” can add up to tens of groszy per kilogram.
The result is sensitive — calculate variants
The cost of 1 kg of live weight is a sensitive result: a 10% change in feed price or a rise in losses from 3% to 6% can noticeably shift the PLN per kilogram. So do not calculate a single number but variants (optimistic and cautious) and see at what purchase price the batch still earns. This protects you from signing a contract right at the limit.
Calculate on your data in the app
The formula is simple, but honestly gathering the costs and weight from a specific batch is work. DlaFerm.pl collects this data alongside daily records and totals the cost of 1 kg after sign-up — from your real placements, feed, drugs and sales. Create a free farm account, keep a digital Flock Card and have the unit cost always at hand.
Frequently asked questions about the cost of producing 1 kg of live weight
How is the cost of producing 1 kg of live weight calculated?add
You add all the costs of one batch (chicks, feed, energy, drugs, labour, other) and divide by the live weight you actually produced, i.e. the number of birds sold times their average weight. The result is PLN per kilogram. The denominator is the weight of birds sold, not placed — which is why losses raise the unit cost.
Which cost is the largest in live-weight production?add
In broiler fattening the largest item is feed — roughly 60–70% of the cost of producing a kilogram of live weight. Chicks, energy, drugs and labour are the rest. So the feed price and its utilisation rate (FCR) have the biggest effect on the final cost, and savings make most sense there.
Do losses affect the cost of 1 kg of live weight?add
Yes, strongly. Dead birds ate a chick and part of the feed but never reached sale, so they reduce the weight in the denominator of the formula. With the same costs, less weight means a higher unit cost. So losses must always be included — counting weight from placed birds understates the cost and gives a false picture of profitability.
Where should I get prices for the calculation?add
Use market, public and current prices: chick price, feed or component price (grain, soybean meal, concentrate), gas and electricity price. Grain and feed prices change seasonally, so it is worth noting them at every purchase and recalculating on fresh values rather than data from several months ago.
How do I tell from the cost of 1 kg whether I am earning?add
Compare the cost of 1 kg of live weight with the purchase price. If the buyer pays more than your unit cost, the difference is the margin per kilogram — multiply it by the weight of the whole batch to see the profit. If the cost is higher than the purchase price, you top up the batch. The full revenue and cost sum is conveniently done in the batch margin calculator.
Can I calculate the cost of 1 kg of live weight in the app?add
Yes. In DlaFerm.pl you keep a digital Flock Card where you record placements, feed, drugs, losses and sales. On that basis the app totals the cost of producing 1 kg of live weight from your real data, without counting on paper. You create a farm account for free and keep the mandatory records at the same time.
Calculate the cost of 1 kg of live weight from your own data
Want to know what a kilogram of live weight from a specific batch really costs you? Keep a digital Flock Card in DlaFerm.pl, and we will calculate the cost of 1 kg from your placements, feed and sales. Create a free farm account and calculate after sign-up.
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