Feed formula case studies

Feed formula case studies: tonnage, FCR and landed cost worked through

Three cases, each carried from the production plan to a tonnage a supplier can price, then to the cost of that tonne delivered. The inputs and outputs are exactly what the published feed formula calculator returns, so you can reproduce every figure yourself and then change the assumptions to your own.

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Short answer · September 2026

In all three cases the contract tonnage comes from planned weight gain × FCR, plus feed eaten by animals lost mid-cycle and a handling-loss allowance — 119.4 t for 30,000 broilers, 1,196.3 t for 5,000 grower pigs and 181.0 t for a 200,000-fish tilapia cycle. Landing the quoted price adds 22–31% per tonne once freight, insurance, duty, port and clearance, inland haulage and finance are included, which is why offers on different Incoterms cannot be compared before they are landed.

What these cases are, and are not

Each case is a worked example produced by the published calculator for the inputs shown. Supplier prices are illustrative inputs chosen to demonstrate the build-up — FeedMatch does not publish feed prices, supplier names or client contract terms, and nothing here is a quotation. Nutrient values behind each species and stage are a published reference basis, not a formulation.

The three cases

Broiler grower — 30,000 birds per cycle

A single broiler cycle placed at 30,000 birds, grown to a planned 2.4 kg of gain per bird at an FCR of 1.65, with a 3% handling-loss allowance on the finished feed.

Inputs

Animals placed: 30,000
Gain per animal: 2.4 kg
FCR used: 1.65
Handling loss: 3%
Supplier price (FOB): 420/t

Calculator output

Feed required (net): 115.9 t
Tonnage to contract: 119.4 t
Landed cost per tonne: 548/t
Uplift over quoted price: 31%
Landed budget: 65,470
Cost per kg of gain: 0.95 / kg

How a buyer reads it

119.4 tonnes is the number that goes into the request — not the 115.9 t the gain alone implies. At a landed 548 per tonne the cycle carries roughly 0.95 per kg of gain, so a supplier quoting 20 per tonne cheaper FOB but landing 40 higher is the more expensive offer.

Grower pig — 5,000 head, 85 kg of gain each

A grower-finisher batch of 5,000 pigs taken through 85 kg of gain each at an FCR of 2.8, with the same 3% handling-loss allowance.

Inputs

Animals placed: 5,000
Gain per animal: 85 kg
FCR used: 2.8
Handling loss: 3%
Supplier price (FOB): 330/t

Calculator output

Feed required (net): 1,161.4 t
Tonnage to contract: 1,196.3 t
Landed cost per tonne: 434/t
Uplift over quoted price: 31%
Landed budget: 518,800
Cost per kg of gain: 1.27 / kg

How a buyer reads it

Volume changes what the buyer can ask for: at 1,196.3 tonnes the requirement is an annual or recurring contract rather than spot loads, and the finance and freight lines become worth negotiating separately rather than accepting inside a single delivered price.

Tilapia grow-out — 200,000 fish

A tilapia grow-out cycle of 200,000 fish, 0.6 kg of gain each at an FCR of 1.5, on an extruded feed quoted well above a compound poultry feed.

Inputs

Animals placed: 200,000
Gain per animal: 0.6 kg
FCR used: 1.5
Handling loss: 3%
Supplier price (FOB): 780/t

Calculator output

Feed required (net): 175.7 t
Tonnage to contract: 181.0 t
Landed cost per tonne: 949/t
Uplift over quoted price: 22%
Landed budget: 171,720
Cost per kg of gain: 1.49 / kg

How a buyer reads it

Tonnage is small but the value per tonne is high, so the landed build-up matters more than the headline discount: 181.0 tonnes at 949 landed is a 171,720 exposure, and the cost per kg of gain of 1.49 is the figure to compare against the farm-gate fish price.

Run the same calculation on your own numbers

Change species, stage, animals, gain, FCR and every landed-cost line, then send the result as a written requirement. A person at FeedMatch reviews it before any manufacturer is approached — no supplier receives your details automatically.

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FeedMatch Group is an independent, supplier-neutral procurement platform. These cases are planning worked examples, not quotations, formulations, client disclosures or veterinary advice, and must be verified by a qualified animal nutritionist or certified expert before commercial production.