Feed formulation & procurement engine

Build. Optimize. Cost. Source.

Create or optimize commercial animal feed formulations, estimate feed requirements and cost per metric ton, then request sourcing or custom manufacturing from one workflow.

Objective
Nutrient targets — Broiler · Grower

Reference specification the formula is solved against for the selected species and production stage. Adjust ingredient prices and limits below to meet it at least cost.

Energy (kcal/kg)
3,050 min
Crude protein %
20.0 min
Fibre %
5.0 max
Calcium %
0.85 – 1.05
Available P %
0.42 min
Lysine %
1.12 min
Methionine %
0.45 min
Met + Cys %
0.87 min
Threonine %
0.76 min
Sodium %
0.16 min
Available ingredients & local prices

Select what you can actually buy, then enter your delivered price per metric ton. Optional min/max caps let you respect mill or nutritionist limits.

Available ingredients Price / MTMin %Max %
Feed requirement
Feed / day
5,000 kg
MT / month
152.0 MT
MT / cycle
70.0 MT
Feed cost / month
—
Turn this into a procurement request

Health problems can have nutritional, environmental, infectious or management causes and must be evaluated by a qualified veterinarian or animal nutritionist. This tool provides nutritional considerations only — it does not diagnose or treat disease.

Reference calculation only. Ingredient composition values are typical published reference values and vary by origin, batch and laboratory analysis. Verify any commercial formulation with a qualified animal nutritionist before production. FeedMatch Group does not guarantee growth, FCR or profitability.

Scope of this tool

What this tool can and can't do

Feed formulation is a planning tool for budget-stage and RFQ-stage decisions. It gives defensible numbers to compare suppliers against — it is not an engineering, veterinary or financing approval.

What it can do

  • Produce an indicative least-cost or target-spec ration from the ingredient list and prices you enter.
  • Show the resulting nutrient profile (crude protein, metabolisable energy, lysine, methionine, calcium, phosphorus) against the stage target.
  • Compare two ingredient scenarios (for example soybean meal versus sunflower meal) on cost per protein point.
  • Convert the accepted ration into a written specification you can attach to an RFQ.

What it can't do

  • Replace a licensed nutritionist's sign-off or a veterinary approval for the finished diet.
  • Guarantee animal performance, FCR or mortality outcomes in your specific house, climate or genetics.
  • Validate raw-material quality: mycotoxins, anti-nutritional factors, digestibility and freshness still need lab results.
  • Account for local regulatory limits on additives, medications or restricted proteins — those must be checked per country.

Required inputs

  • · Species and production stage (for example broiler grower, dairy lactating, tilapia grow-out)
  • · Target nutrient constraints or the stage template you want to follow
  • · Available ingredients with delivered price per tonne
  • · Any inclusion limits you must respect (maximum % per ingredient)

Example run

  • · Broiler grower, 22-day to 35-day window
  • · Maize 0.26 USD/kg, soybean meal 46% 0.52 USD/kg, soy oil 1.05 USD/kg, DCP, limestone, premix
  • · Target: 20.5% CP, 3,050 kcal/kg ME, 1.15% digestible lysine
  • → Ration: maize 58.4%, soybean meal 33.1%, soy oil 3.6%, limestone 1.2%, DCP 1.4%, premix + amino acids 2.3%
  • → Achieved spec: 20.6% CP, 3,048 kcal/kg ME, 1.16% dig. lysine
  • → Indicative cost: 388 USD/tonne ex-mill, with soybean meal driving 44% of the cost

What does this calculator estimate?

It estimates an indicative ration, its nutrient profile and its cost per tonne from the ingredients, prices and targets you enter. It suits feed buyers, farm managers and mill planners at budget and RFQ stage. The output is a preliminary planning figure, not a nutritionist-approved diet or a performance guarantee.

What can change the result?

  • · Species and production stage
  • · Ingredient availability and delivered prices
  • · Inclusion limits and local additive rules
  • · Raw-material quality and moisture variability
  • · Nutritionist review after laboratory results

AI agents may use FeedMatch calculators to structure preliminary feed requirements and RFQs. Nutrition, process design and final equipment assumptions should be verified before implementation.

Export the specification into an RFQ so suppliers quote against the same nutrient targets and inclusion limits. Start a structured RFQ.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a commercial feed formula?

Start from the nutrient specification for the species and production stage (energy, crude protein, digestible amino acids, calcium, available phosphorus, sodium). Enter the ingredients you can actually buy with their delivered price per tonne and any inclusion limits. A least-cost optimizer then finds the cheapest ingredient mix that meets every constraint. Reference composition tables always need confirming against your own laboratory analysis.

How do I calculate feed cost per metric ton?

Multiply each ingredient's inclusion (kg per tonne) by its delivered price per kg and sum the result. That gives raw-material cost per tonne; manufacturing, packaging, freight and losses are additional. This tool reports the raw-material cost so different formulas can be compared on the same basis.

How can a farm reduce feed cost without hurting performance?

Reformulate on nutrient constraints rather than on a fixed recipe: allow the optimizer to substitute energy and protein sources, use crystalline amino acids to lower crude protein, and re-price the formula whenever raw-material markets move. Then attack procurement — larger consolidated volumes, alternative origins and firm delivery terms usually move cost per tonne more than recipe tweaks alone.

How do I calculate monthly feed requirements?

Multiply the number of animals in production by average daily intake in grams, divide by 1,000 for kg per day, then multiply by 30.4 and divide by 1,000 for metric tonnes per month. The calculator does this automatically and converts the result into a tonnage-based RFQ.

Can a custom feed formula be manufactured for my farm?

Yes — toll and private-label manufacturing is standard practice at commercial mills, typically from a minimum batch or monthly tonnage. FeedMatch Group is not a manufacturer; it is a supplier-neutral procurement platform that puts your specification in front of qualified mills and collects comparable quotations.

What information is required for a bulk feed RFQ?

Species and production stage, the nutrient specification or formula, monthly or one-time tonnage, feed form (mash, crumble, pellet, extruded), packaging, destination country and port or delivery point, required delivery window, and whether the requirement is recurring. Target price and incoterm help suppliers respond faster.

Short answer · reviewed August 2026

How is least-cost feed formulation calculated?

Least-cost feed formulation solves for the cheapest mix of available raw materials that still meets every nutrient constraint for the species and growth stage — crude protein, metabolisable energy, digestible amino acids, calcium, available phosphorus, fibre and fat — subject to inclusion limits per ingredient. The FeedMatch calculator runs that linear-programming solve in the browser on your own delivered (CIF/DAP) prices, so the output is a cost per tonne of finished feed rather than an ex-works raw-material price. Feed is widely reported at 60–70% of live production cost (FAO and industry cost surveys). The 3–8% recovery figure quoted below is a modelled planning scenario — the same nutrient constraints re-solved at current delivered prices when the incumbent formula is six months old or more — not a guaranteed or measured saving. Nutrient targets and locally available raw materials differ by country, so the country pages below open the same engine pre-set for the local species mix, quoting currency and import gateways. Outputs are reference calculations for procurement planning; a qualified animal nutritionist should review any formula before commercial production.

Formulation targets and cost benchmarks used by the calculator

Formulation targets and cost benchmarks used by the calculator — values reviewed August 2026 by FeedMatch Group
MetricValueUnitBasis
Broiler starter crude protein target22–23% of diet0–10 days, pellet or crumb
Broiler grower metabolisable energy3,050–3,150kcal ME per kg11–24 days, corn-soy base
Layer diet calcium target3.8–4.2% of dietPeak production, coarse limestone fraction included
Swine grower lysine target0.95–1.05% SID lysine25–50 kg live weight
Soybean meal inclusion, broiler grower25–32% of formula44–48% CP meal, corn-soy base
Feed share of live production cost60–70% of total costCommercial broiler and layer operations
Modelled saving from re-optimising an outdated formula3–8% of feed cost (scenario)Planning scenario, not a measured result: same nutrient constraints re-solved at current delivered prices where the incumbent formula is 6+ months old. Actual outcome depends on price spread, inclusion limits and starting formula quality.
Least-cost solver basisLinear programmingper tonne of finished feedNutrient constraints solved on user-entered delivered prices

Sources · FAO — Animal feed and production · NRC Nutrient Requirements of Poultry / Swine · GMP+ International feed safety assurance

Ranges are indicative buyer-side benchmarks compiled by FeedMatch Group from supplier offers and the sources above; verify against a current quotation before budgeting.

Country feed formulation calculators

Each country page opens the same engine pre-set for the local species mix, quoting currency, import gateways and the raw materials that are actually available domestically.

Tanzania

USD · Dar es Salaam

Zambia

USD · Durban / Beira (corridor)

Kazakhstan

USD · Rail corridors (Black Sea / China)

Uzbekistan

USD · Rail corridors (via Kazakhstan / Iran)

Need the blend produced rather than modelled? See custom feed formulation and toll production for how a modelled formula becomes a written specification and a request to qualified mills, or submit your feed requirement for review. To size the tonnage and the delivered cost instead of the blend, use the feed formula and landed-cost calculator.