Calculator methodology based on standard poultry nutrition references.
Reviewed by: AgriFarming Poultry Editorial Team
Topic: How Much feed do poultry birds need per day?
Tool type: Poultry Feed Calculator
Data sources: ICAR poultry nutrition guidelines, KVK training materials
Last updated: April 2026
Feeding is the biggest cost in any poultry farm. Whether you run 100 broilers in a backyard shed or 5,000 layer hens in a commercial setup, overfeeding wastes money and underfeeding kills production.
Poultry Feed Calculator
Select poultry type & flock size — calculate total feed requirements
About This Poultry Feed Calculator
The Poultry Feed Calculator calculates total daily and weekly feed requirements for broilers, layers, and other poultry types based on flock size and age-appropriate feed consumption rates. Accurate feed planning prevents both feed shortages that stall growth and overstock that ties up working capital. It also estimates feed cost when a price-per-kg is entered.
Formula Used
Daily Feed (kg) = Flock Size × Feed Intake per Bird per Day (g) ÷ 1,000. Weekly feed = Daily Feed × 7. Feed Cost = Daily Feed × Price per kg.
Usage Tip
Feed intake varies with ambient temperature — birds eat 1–1.5% less feed per °C above 25°C (77°F). Adjust ration quantities during heat waves to avoid over-purchasing while monitoring body weight to detect shortfalls.
The calculator above takes your poultry type and flock size and gives you the exact feed requirement — per bird per day, all birds per day, weekly total, monthly total, and how many 50 kg bags to order.
Use it before you buy feed, not after.
Who Should Use This Calculator
This tool is useful for broiler farmers planning batch feed purchases, layer farmers estimating monthly feed budgets, and new poultry farmers calculating startup costs.
It also helps commercial farms managing feed inventory and small backyard poultry keepers who want to avoid overbuying or running short mid-batch.
How to Use This Calculator
What the Calculator Needs From You
Three inputs is all it takes.
Poultry type — the calculator covers 11 types: Broiler Chick (0-2 weeks), Broiler Grower (3-5 weeks), Broiler Finisher (6+ weeks), Layer Pullet, Layer Hen, Turkey Poult, Turkey Grower, Turkey Finisher, Duck, Quail, and Geese.
Each type carries a fixed daily feed rate in grams per bird based on standard averages.
Number of birds — enter your actual flock count. There is no upper limit.
Period — choose from 1 day, 1 week, 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or a custom number of days. The custom option is useful when calculating for a specific grow-out cycle rather than a rounded period.
Output unit is selectable: kilograms, pounds, or grams.
What Results You Get
After you click Calculate, the calculator shows:
- Total feed required — in your chosen unit (kg, lbs, or grams) for the full period
- Per bird / day — the base feed rate for that poultry type in grams
- All birds / day — total flock feed consumption in kg per day
- Weekly total — kg per week across the entire flock
- Monthly total — kg per month
- Total in kg — always shown as a reference regardless of selected unit
- Bags (50 kg) — how many standard 50 kg bags you need for the full period
You can copy all results to clipboard in one click.
Poultry Feed Rates Reference
Daily Feed Rate by Poultry Type
| Poultry Type | Daily Feed Rate |
| Broiler Chick (0-2 wk) | 30 g/bird/day |
| Broiler Grower (3-5 wk) | 75 g/bird/day |
| Broiler Finisher (6+ wk) | 120 g/bird/day |
| Layer Pullet | 60 g/bird/day |
| Layer Hen | 115 g/bird/day |
| Turkey Poult | 60 g/bird/day |
| Turkey Grower | 180 g/bird/day |
| Turkey Finisher | 280 g/bird/day |
| Duck | 150 g/bird/day |
| Quail | 22 g/bird/day |
| Geese | 300 g/bird/day |
How Feed Rates Were Selected
Feed rates used in this calculator are based on standard poultry nutrition references including ICAR poultry production manuals, university extension training material, and commercial poultry management guides.
Values represent typical commercial breed consumption under normal management conditions. They are cross-referenced across multiple production guides to reflect practical field use in Indian poultry farming contexts.
Quick Feed Formula
Daily feed = Birds x Feed rate (g)
Total feed = Daily feed x Days
Bags needed = Total kg / 50
Practical Feed Calculation Examples
Broiler Finisher Example — 500 Birds, 30 Days
- Feed rate: 120 g/bird/day
- All birds per day: 60 kg/day
- Weekly total: 420 kg
- Monthly total: 1,800 kg
- Bags needed: 36 bags of 50 kg
If the same 500 birds are in the grower stage (3-5 weeks), the daily total drops to 37.5 kg and you need only 22.5 bags for 30 days.
Knowing the stage matters — buying finisher ration quantities for grower-stage birds is a common and expensive mistake.
Feed Planning by Stage
Broilers move through three distinct phases and feed rate nearly quadruples from chick to finisher stage — 30 g rises to 120 g per bird per day.
Missing this shift in your feed budget means you either run short mid-batch or over-order early and store feed longer than recommended.
For layer hens, the 115 g/day rate applies to hens in full production. Pullets at 60 g/day consume about half that. If you are transitioning a flock from pullet to laying stage, plan for the switchover in your 90-day or annual feed budget.
Quail farmers often underestimate how manageable their feed costs are. At 22 g/day, a flock of 1,000 quail needs only 22 kg/day — roughly one 50 kg bag every two days.
Feed Quantity vs. Feed Cost
The calculator gives you quantity. To complete your feed budget, multiply the bag count by the current market price of the appropriate ration in your area.
For broilers in India, starter, grower, and finisher rations are priced differently. A 30-day batch needing 36 bags of finisher ration at Rs.1,400 per bag costs Rs.50,400 in feed alone for 500 birds — before water, medication, litter, or labor.
Running this number before each batch cycle prevents the most common cash flow problem in small-scale poultry farming: mid-batch feed shortfall.
Practical Farm Note
Many small poultry farmers underestimate feed needs during the finisher stage. At 120 g/bird/day, a flock of 1,000 broilers in the last two weeks consumes 120 kg per day — double what the same birds needed in the grower phase.
Planning feed for the full growth cycle before starting a batch helps avoid emergency purchases at higher prices, which often means paying Rs.200-300 more per bag than bulk rates.
Factors That Affect Feed Consumption
Temperature, Feed Form and Breed
Temperature affects consumption — birds eat less in heat and more in cold. Summer intake can drop 10-15% below standard rates. Feed form also matters — pelleted feed converts better than mash, and birds on mash tend to consume more per unit of gain.
Breed plays a role too. Commercial lines perform closer to these rates than desi or indigenous breeds. Any significant drop from expected daily intake is an early warning sign of health issues.
Always provide fresh water at all times. Restricted water directly cuts feed consumption and growth rate.
Calculator Limitations
This calculator provides planning estimates only. Actual feed consumption may vary due to flock management practices, mortality rate, genetic variation between breeds, local climate, and feed quality differences between manufacturers.
Always monitor real flock consumption week by week and adjust purchasing accordingly. Do not use calculator output as a substitute for on-farm feed records.
Frequently Asked Questions about Poultry Feed Requirement
1. How much feed does a broiler need for 6 weeks?
A broiler goes through three stages over 6 weeks. Using standard rates: 0-14 days at 30 g/day, days 15-35 at 75 g/day, days 36-42 at 120 g/day. Total per bird is approximately 2.6 kg. For 1,000 birds that is 2,600 kg or 52 bags of 50 kg.
2. How many kg of feed does a layer hen eat per month?
At 115 g/day, a layer hen eats about 3.45 kg per month. For 500 layer hens that is 1,725 kg/month or 34-35 bags.
3. Can I use this calculator for country chicken or desi breeds?
The rates are calibrated to commercial breeds. Country chicken typically eats less under free-range or semi-intensive conditions. Use the values as an upper estimate and adjust down based on your own flock observation.
4. What is the formula for calculating poultry feed?
Feed rate (g/bird/day) x Number of birds x Number of days = Total feed in grams. Divide by 1,000 for kg, then divide by 50 for the number of standard bags.
5. Is this poultry feed calculator accurate?
This calculator uses standard feed consumption averages referenced in commercial poultry farming guidelines. Results are suitable for feed planning and purchase estimation but should be adjusted based on real farm performance and breed-specific data from your supplier or veterinarian.
Related Poultry Articles and Calculators
You may also find these useful:
- Poultry Profit Calculator
- Poultry Feed Chart and Weight Chart
- Poultry Feed Ingredients Guide
- Poultry Feed Types and Formulation
- How to Manage Chicken Feed Costs
- How to Improve Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
This calculator is updated regularly based on poultry nutrition standards and practical farm feeding data. Data based on ICAR poultry feeding standards.