How is feed conversion ratio (FCR) defined in poultry production?

• A. Weight gain divided by feed intake.
• B. Feed intake multiplied by weight gain.
• C. Feed intake plus weight gain.
• D. Feed intake divided by weight gain.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is understanding how efficiently feed is turned into body weight in poultry. Feed conversion ratio is defined as the amount of feed required to gain a unit of body weight. In other words, FCR equals feed intake divided by weight gain. This means if a bird eats 2.0 kg of feed to gain 1.25 kg of weight, the FCR is 2.0 / 1.25 = 1.6. Lower FCR values indicate more efficient feed use.

Why the other formulations don’t fit: dividing weight gain by feed intake would give gain per unit of feed, which is a related but different metric of efficiency, not FCR. Multiplying or adding feed intake and weight gain doesn’t express how much feed is needed per unit of growth, so those forms don’t define FCR.