Broiler vs Layer: Two Very Different Poultry Businesses
Broiler is a 5-6 week bet on feed conversion; layer is a year-long bet on egg output. Learn how to pick the right one for your cash flow and space.
Vaibhav Dhama2 min readPoultry Profit CalculatorLive & free
Chick cost, feed conversion ratio, mortality and sale price in — net profit per broiler batch out, alongside the same numbers for a laying flock.
Understanding your results
The calculator above turns your flock size, feed costs, mortality and sale price into a complete batch or cycle P&L. Here is what each number means.
Birds at sale / Hens at end
Chicks placed minus the ones lost to mortality. This is the number that actually earns you money — every percentage point of mortality you prevent adds directly to the bottom line.
Total feed consumed
For broilers, it is FCR × live weight × surviving birds. For layers, it is average hen count × daily feed × laying days. Feed is 65–70% of total cost, so even a ₹1/kg change here swings the batch profit significantly.
Net profit
Gross revenue (meat sale for broilers, egg + spent-hen sale for layers) minus total cost (chicks + feed + medicine + litter/electricity). A positive number means the batch paid for itself and left money in hand.
Cost per kg / Cost per egg
Your production cost divided by total output. Compare this against the market sale price — the gap is your margin. If cost per kg is above the live-bird market rate, the batch is losing money even before you count your time.
How the calculator works
The maths behind both the broiler and layer modes, step by step — no black box.
- 1
Start with chicks placed and mortality
You enter the number of day-old chicks or pullets. The calculator applies your mortality percentage to get birds surviving to sale (broiler) or average hens alive through the laying cycle (layer).
- 2
Compute total feed from FCR or daily intake
Broiler: surviving birds × target weight × FCR = total feed in kg. Layer: average hens × grams per day × laying days ÷ 1,000 = total feed in kg. Feed cost = total feed × your quoted price per kg.
- 3
Add up all costs
Chick cost (placed count × price) + feed cost + medicine (per bird × placed) + miscellaneous (litter, electricity, per bird × placed). This is your total cost for the batch or cycle.
- 4
Calculate revenue
Broiler: surviving birds × target weight × sale price per kg. Layer: total eggs × egg price + surviving hens × spent-hen price.
- 5
Derive the headline numbers
Net profit = revenue − total cost. Profit per bird = net profit ÷ surviving birds (broiler) or placed birds (layer). Cost per kg or per egg = total cost ÷ total output.
Who is this calculator for?
Anyone planning, running or evaluating a poultry operation in India — from a first-time 500-bird shed to a 10,000-bird commercial unit.
First-time poultry farmers
You are thinking about starting a broiler or layer unit and need to know the numbers before investing. The calculator tells you whether the batch will actually make money at current feed and market prices.
Running farmers comparing batches
You have finished a few batches and want to know which breed, FCR or flock size works best for your shed. Plug in your actual numbers from the last batch and compare.
Loan applicants preparing a project report
Banks and NABARD want a projected P&L in the DPR. This calculator gives you the cost, revenue and profit breakdown in the format a branch manager expects to see.
Deciding between broiler and layer
Broiler gives quick turnover (35–56 days) but thin margins; layer needs more capital but earns over 52–72 weeks. Switch between the two tabs and compare side by side.
Tips for a profitable poultry batch
Practical measures that move the numbers the calculator shows you — things you can act on before the next batch.
Negotiate feed in bulk
Feed is 65–70% of cost. A ₹1/kg saving on feed across a 500-bird broiler batch (≈ 1,870 kg) saves ₹1,870 per cycle — over six cycles a year that is ₹11,000+ straight to profit.
Keep brooding temperature right
First-week chick mortality is the single biggest mortality driver. Maintain 33–35 °C in the first week, drop 3 °C per week. A ₹500 room heater can save 2–3% mortality in winter.
Vaccinate on schedule
Marek's (day 1), Newcastle (day 7 + booster), IBD/Gumboro (day 14) — skip one and a single outbreak can wipe the batch. The vaccine cost per bird is ₹2–3; the risk of not vaccinating is the entire batch.
Sell broilers at the right weight
FCR worsens sharply after 2.2 kg live weight. Every extra day past the target weight costs more feed per gram of gain. Holding birds hoping for a price rise often costs more in feed than the price difference.
Track batch records
Record daily mortality, feed consumption and body weight sample for every batch. After three batches you will see your own FCR trend and know exactly where money is leaking.
Layer lighting matters
Layers need 16 hours of light to sustain peak hen-day production. A ₹200 timer switch on the shed lights can add 5–8% to HD% — that is 15–25 extra eggs per hen per year.
Common mistakes
Errors that routinely turn a profitable batch into a losing one — and what to do instead.
Ignoring mortality in the budget
Planning revenue on 500 birds but losing 30 to mortality means you overestimate revenue by 6%. The gap is enough to turn a slim broiler margin negative.
Do this instead: Always budget with 4–6% broiler mortality and 6–10% layer mortality. The calculator already does this — enter your realistic mortality, not zero.
Buying the cheapest chicks
Low-cost chicks from unregistered hatcheries often carry higher early mortality and worse FCR. You save ₹5 per chick but lose ₹20–30 per bird in feed efficiency and deaths.
Do this instead: Buy from a registered hatchery with a known parent stock. The ₹5–10 premium per chick pays back many times over in lower mortality and better FCR.
Not accounting for litter and electricity
Rice husk, electricity for brooders and fans, and water cost ₹3–8 per bird. On a 1,000-bird batch that is ₹3,000–8,000 that often goes untracked.
Do this instead: Enter a realistic miscellaneous cost per bird. The calculator has a separate field for it so these costs show up in your total.
Holding broilers past target weight
After 2.2 kg, FCR climbs from 1.7 to 2.0+. Each extra day eats ₹3–4 in feed for birds that gain only 30–40 g. Waiting a week for a ₹5/kg price rise costs ₹15–20/bird in feed.
Do this instead: Set a firm sell date based on target weight, not market sentiment. Use the calculator to see how much each extra day actually costs.
Skipping the spent-hen sale in layer planning
A 500-hen layer flock with 8% mortality leaves 460 hens worth ₹80 each = ₹36,800 at the end of the cycle. Ignoring this understates layer profitability by 5–8%.
Do this instead: Always include spent-hen revenue. The calculator adds it to gross revenue automatically — just enter a realistic per-bird price.
Using textbook HD% instead of actual
Breed catalogues quote 85–90% peak HD. In Indian conditions with summer heat stress and variable feed quality, 75–82% is closer to reality for most farms.
Do this instead: Enter your actual HD% from the last cycle, or use the breed preset defaults in this calculator which already reflect Indian commercial averages.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions poultry farmers ask most about batch economics.
What is a good FCR for broilers in India?
Commercial Cobb/Ross broilers in well-managed Indian farms achieve 1.6–1.75 FCR at 2.0–2.2 kg live weight in 35 days. Desi or Kadaknath broilers run 2.3–2.8 FCR at 1.2–1.5 kg in 50–60 days. Anything above 2.0 for a commercial bird signals a feed or health problem.
How many batches of broilers can I do in a year?
A 35-day grow-out cycle plus 7–10 days of shed cleaning and disinfection gives about 6–7 batches per year. Some farmers do 7 by shortening the gap to 5 days, but a longer rest reduces disease carryover.
Is layer farming more profitable than broiler?
Layer farming earns over a longer period (52–72 weeks) and has a more predictable revenue stream from daily egg sales. Broiler gives faster capital turnover (every 35–42 days). Layer needs higher upfront investment (pullets cost more, longer pre-lay period) but often gives a better annualised return if managed well.
What is hen-day production percentage?
Hen-day production (HD%) is the number of eggs laid on a given day divided by the number of hens alive that day, expressed as a percentage. A flock producing 400 eggs from 500 hens has an HD% of 80. Peak HD% for commercial layers is 85–92% around weeks 25–35, declining to 65–70% by week 72.
How much does it cost to start a 500-bird broiler unit?
A basic open-sided shed for 500 broilers costs ₹50,000–80,000 to build in most Indian states. Per-batch working capital is ₹70,000–90,000 (chicks ₹21,000, feed ₹55,000–60,000, medicine ₹4,000, misc ₹3,000). Total first-batch investment: ₹1.2–1.7 lakh.
What mortality rate should I expect?
Well-managed broiler batches see 3–5% mortality over the 35-day cycle, with most deaths in the first week. Layer flocks run 6–10% mortality over the 52–72 week cycle. If mortality crosses 8% in broilers or 12% in layers, investigate ventilation, vaccination and water quality immediately.
Why does the calculator show different results for Desi vs commercial broilers?
Desi and Kadaknath birds have a higher FCR (2.3–2.8 vs 1.6–1.75), lower target weight (1.2–1.5 kg vs 2.0–2.2 kg) and a longer cycle (50–60 days vs 35 days). They consume more feed per kg of meat. The trade-off is that desi chicken commands ₹200–350/kg live vs ₹90–110/kg for commercial broilers, so the margin per bird can still be higher.
How do I reduce feed cost without hurting growth?
Buy feed in bulk (1–2 tonnes at a time for a 500-bird batch), store properly in a dry godown to prevent fungal spoilage, use phase feeding (starter → finisher) rather than a single feed throughout, and avoid spillage with proper feeders adjusted to bird height. These measures alone can save ₹1–2/kg on feed.
What is spent-hen price and why does it matter for layers?
After the laying cycle ends (72 weeks for commercial, 52 for desi), hens are sold for meat at ₹60–100 per bird. On a 500-hen flock with 8% mortality, the 460 surviving hens bring ₹28,000–46,000 — enough to cover 3–5% of the total cycle cost. Omitting it understates layer profitability.
Can I use this calculator for a contract farming (integrator) model?
Yes. In a contract model, the integrator supplies chicks and feed, so set chick price and feed price to zero and enter only your costs (electricity, litter, labour). Your revenue is the growing charge per bird (₹4–6/kg live weight) rather than the market sale price.
What government subsidies are available for poultry farming?
NABARD subsidises poultry units under the Poultry Venture Capital Fund (PVCF) — up to 25% (33% for SC/ST/NE) of capital cost for units up to 5,000 birds. Several states offer additional subsidies. The subsidy covers shed construction and equipment, not working capital (chicks, feed), so your per-batch cost in this calculator stays the same.
How does summer heat affect poultry profitability?
Above 30 °C, broiler FCR worsens by 0.1–0.2 and layer HD% drops 5–10%. Mortality can spike 2–3% in heat waves. Foggers, fans and wet-pad cooling add ₹2–5/bird to miscellaneous cost but prevent much larger losses in feed efficiency and deaths. Enter the higher miscellaneous cost in summer batches to see the real picture.
Related guides
In-depth articles on poultry management, feed and disease control.