Broiler cycle margin calculator — how much is left on one batch
The cycle margin is the simplest measure of how profitable a single batch is: it is the money left after you sell the live birds and subtract every cost of that cycle. We show the formula in words, work through an example on public prices and convert the result into PLN per whole batch and per square metre of the house. So you immediately know whether a cycle actually earned or just moved money around.
verifiedFrom the team that has organised work on poultry farms for years.
What we calculate and why
The cycle margin (the batch margin) is the money left from one broiler flock after you sell the live birds and pay every cost of that cycle. We calculate it to know whether a cycle truly earned, rather than just running feed and chicks through the farm. It is the first number worth knowing before you start comparing batches or planning the next placement. If you first want to understand the production cost itself, start with the cost per 1 kg of live weight calculator.
The formula in words — revenue minus costs
The formula is simple: cycle margin = revenue from live-bird sales − cycle costs. Revenue is the mass of live birds sold multiplied by the buying price (kg × PLN/kg). Cycle costs are the sum of everything spent on that batch: chicks, feed, treatment and vaccinations, heating and electricity, litter, labour and fixed costs allocated to the cycle. The more accurately you gather the costs, the more honest the margin. The mass for sale is easiest to estimate with the harvest biomass calculator.
Why the buying price alone is not enough
A high buying price does not yet mean the batch earned — what matters is the difference between revenue and costs. Two flocks at the same price can give a very different margin, because they differ in feed use, mortality and final weight. That is why the margin must be calculated for a specific batch, not from general talk of a “good price”. The wider picture of earnings across the whole farm is shown in the article on how much you can earn from poultry farming.
Result per batch and per square metre
It is worth giving the margin two ways: as the amount from the whole batch and as PLN per square metre of house floor. The amount per batch tells you how much is left here and now, while the per-m² result lets you compare cycles and houses of different sizes on one scale. The same applies to comparisons over time — it is easier to see whether winter ate the margin through heating. You tie this number to flock efficiency through the EPEF index.
Calculate once, then compare batches
You gain the most by calculating the margin regularly — batch after batch, on the same rules. Then you see the trend and the effect of decisions: feed changes, harvest timing or heating. DlaFerm.pl keeps each flock’s data in one place, so you have the mass, mortality and costs at hand for the sum. You run everything in the digital Flock Card and the mandatory documentation in the IRZplus flock records. The IRZplus portal can be unintuitive, so you can have DlaFerm.pl file the flock-change reports for you — automatically, if you want; or you can report them yourself. You can create a farm account for free.
How to calculate a broiler cycle margin — six steps
From gathering data to the result in PLN per batch and per square metre. We work the example on public prices and round numbers so it is easy to plug in your own.
Gather the revenue data
First the revenue: mass of live birds sold times the buying price (kg × PLN/kg). You take the mass from the collection documents or estimate it with the harvest biomass calculator. You take the buying price from the invoice for that batch — it, not a price from another month, decides this cycle’s revenue.
Gather the cycle costs
List everything spent on that cycle: chicks, feed, treatment and vaccinations, heating and electricity, litter, labour and fixed costs allocated to the batch. Feed is usually the largest item. For the cost structure details see the cost per 1 kg of live weight calculator — the same components go into the sum here.
Write down the formula
There is one formula: cycle margin = revenue from live-bird sales − cycle costs. Revenue = live-bird mass × buying price. Cycle costs = the sum of the components from the previous step. The result is the amount left from the whole batch — it can be positive (profit) or negative (a loss on the cycle).
Take example data
We calculate a 1200 m² house. Assume: 36,000 kg of live weight went to collection, buying price 6.50 PLN/kg (public, illustrative values). Costs of the whole cycle summed to 195,000 PLN — including feed, chicks, treatment, heating, litter, labour and fixed costs. These are example figures; plug in your own from the invoices for the given cycle.
Plug into the formula
Revenue = 36,000 kg × 6.50 PLN/kg = 234,000 PLN. Cycle margin = 234,000 PLN − 195,000 PLN = 39,000 PLN. Margin per square metre = 39,000 PLN ÷ 1200 m² = 32.50 PLN/m² for this batch. For a yearly comparison, multiply by the number of cycles per year (usually about five–six broiler cycles).
Use the result for decisions
With the margin per batch and per m², compare cycles and check what differs: buying price, FCR, mortality or heating. This is how you plan the next placements and collections. It is most convenient to calculate this with data from the digital Flock Card — the mass and costs are already gathered on one flock.
What drives the cycle margin and where errors creep in
The margin is the result of many factors at once. Here are six things to keep in mind when calculating and comparing broiler batches.
The role of FCR and EPEF
The margin rises when the flock uses feed well. FCR (feed conversion ratio, kg of feed per 1 kg of gain) translates directly into the largest cycle cost. The combined picture of production performance is given by the EPEF index, joining gain, FCR, survival and age. Two flocks at the same buying price will give a different margin mainly through FCR.
Mortality and condemnations cut revenue
Only the live birds actually sold count towards revenue. Mortality during the cycle and condemnations at slaughter reduce the mass you weigh at collection, while the cycle costs were incurred anyway. That is why the margin is calculated from the mass sold, not from the number of chicks placed. Flock survival is one of the main factors separating a profitable batch from a loss-making one.
Seasonality of the live-bird price
The buying price of live birds changes over the year and can move the margin of the very same, well-run flock a lot. That is why the margin is always calculated with the price from the given batch’s invoice, and when comparing cycles remember that part of the difference is simply the market, not your farming. For planning, take a cautious price scenario, not the best of the year.
Margin per m² and per year, not just per batch
The amount from one batch does not tell the whole story. Convert it per square metre to compare houses of different sizes, and per year — through the number of cycles — to see the farm’s real result. A short, fast cycle with a smaller margin per batch can come out better over a year than a long one with a higher one-off margin. Look at the whole, not a single figure.
Common mistakes in the calculation
The most common errors are: omitting fixed costs and labour, calculating revenue from the mass placed instead of sold, using a buying price from another month, and mixing the costs of two batches. Each of these inflates the margin and gives a false sense of profit. Calculate one batch at a time, on the prices and costs of exactly that cycle.
Calculate it in the app
A hand calculation on paper is easy to lose between flocks. In DlaFerm.pl the mass, mortality and costs are already gathered on a specific flock, so you calculate the margin on solid data, not from memory. You run the data in the digital Flock Card, and the flock documentation lawfully in the IRZplus flock records.
Frequently asked questions about the broiler cycle margin
What is a broiler cycle margin?add
It is the money left from one cycle after selling the live birds and subtracting all cycle costs. The formula: cycle margin = revenue from live-bird sales − cycle costs, where revenue is the mass of live birds sold times the buying price. The result is usually given as the amount from the whole batch and as PLN per square metre of house, so that cycles and facilities can be compared.
How do I calculate the cycle margin step by step?add
First calculate revenue: mass of live birds sold × the buying price from that batch’s invoice. Then sum the cycle costs: chicks, feed, treatment, heating and electricity, litter, labour and fixed costs per cycle. Finally subtract the costs from the revenue. Divide that amount by the square metres of the house to get the margin per m² and be able to compare batches.
How does the cycle margin differ from the cost per 1 kg of live weight?add
The cost per 1 kg of live weight says how much it costs to produce one kilogram, while the cycle margin says how much is left after selling the whole flock. They are two different numbers from the same data: the unit cost looks at production, the margin at the cycle’s financial result. It is worth calculating the cost per 1 kg first, then the margin of the whole batch from it.
What has the strongest effect on the cycle margin?add
The strongest: the buying price of live birds, feed use (FCR), flock survival and final weight. Feed is usually the largest cost, so even a small FCR improvement visibly raises the margin. On the revenue side, the seasonal buying price and how much live weight you actually sell matter — mortality and condemnations cut the mass, while the costs were already incurred.
Why calculate the margin per square metre?add
Because the amount per batch depends on house size and cannot be compared directly between facilities. The margin per square metre brings different houses and cycles to one scale, so you can see which batch and which facility really work better. For the full picture it is also worth converting the margin per year, multiplying by the number of cycles.
Can I calculate the cycle margin in DlaFerm.pl?add
Yes. The collection mass, mortality and costs are gathered on a specific flock in the digital Flock Card, so you calculate the margin on solid data, not from memory or loose notes. At the same time you keep the flock documentation lawfully in the IRZplus records. You create a farm account for free and calculate the margin after signing up.
Calculate the cycle margin on solid data with DlaFerm.pl
Want to calculate each cycle’s margin on real mass and costs instead of from memory? The Flock Card and calculators in DlaFerm.pl keep the flock’s data in one place. Create a free farm account and calculate the cycle margin after signing up.
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