How much feed does one broiler eat from day one to slaughter?

A fast-growing broiler eats roughly 4.9 kg of feed from placement to slaughter at 42 days under good commercial conditions. That is a cumulative total, not a daily allowance. Birds slaughtered younger eat less overall; keeping them longer increases both total feed use and the feed needed per kilogram of growth.

The Ross 308 broiler performance objectives give cumulative intake of about 160 g at week 1, 525 g at week 2, 1,180 g at week 3, 2,170 g at week 4, 3,420 g at week 5 and 4,890 g at week 6. The week 6 objective corresponds to about 2,960 g live weight. These are performance benchmarks rather than guaranteed results in every house.

For the worked example, Ross 308 birds in a naturally ventilated, deep-litter house at 21C have a target of 2.8 kg at 42 days and a realistic feed conversion ratio of 1.68. Budget feed by multiplying target live weight by that realistic conversion ratio, rather than using the more optimistic standard of 1.55. For the 500-bird flock, also account for feed eaten by birds lost before sale and for wastage; feed per bird sold is not the same as feed per chick placed.

Breed nutrition specifications and FAO feeding guidance recommend starter for roughly the first 10 days, grower to around day 24 and finisher thereafter. These phases together make up the lifetime feed total. Confirm the buyer’s preferred weight before setting your budget, and check actual feed use against regular flock weights rather than treating a published intake table as a ration limit.