Understanding Your Broiler Grower Payment & Settlement

The building blocks

1. Corrected FCR (cFCR)

cFCR = FCR − (average bird weight in kg − 2.45) × 0.27 — this normalises your feed conversion to a common 2.45 kg reference weight so batches of different average weights can be compared fairly.

2. Cage rating

Cage rating = 39.5 ÷ corrected batch age (days) — this rewards a faster turnaround. A lower corrected age gives a higher cage rating.

3. Efficiency rating

Efficiency rating = ((1.78 ÷ cFCR) × 0.7) + (cage rating × 0.3) — this combines feed efficiency (70% weight) and turnaround speed (30% weight) into one number.

How efficiency rating scales your payment

Your settlement payment is typically the base rate per kilogram, multiplied by your efficiency rating. An efficiency rating around 1.00 means you're paid the standard base rate; above 1.00 means a bonus for above-average efficiency; below 1.00 means a reduction. This is why two growers delivering the exact same total kilograms can walk away with different payments — the one with the better cFCR and turnaround gets paid more per kilo.

Why your own number matters before settlement

Settlement figures are calculated by the integrator weeks after catch — by then it's too late to change anything about that batch. Knowing your live FCR, cFCR and projected efficiency rating during the batch means you can act on a problem (feed waste, water issues, temperature stress) while it's still fixable, instead of finding out at settlement.

FAQ

What determines a broiler grower's payment?

Most Australian contracts pay a base rate per kilogram, adjusted up or down by an efficiency rating derived from your corrected FCR and cage (turnaround) rating.

What is cage rating?

Cage rating measures how quickly you turned the batch around relative to a reference age — calculated as 39.5 ÷ corrected batch age in days. A faster turnaround gives a higher cage rating.

Why does my payment differ from a simple weight × price calculation?

Because efficiency rating (built from cFCR and cage rating) scales the base payment up or down — two growers delivering the same total weight can be paid differently based on how efficiently they got there.