How to set up a broiler (meat) farm in FlockPulse
A complete, step-by-step walkthrough to get your broiler farm running in FlockPulse — from placing a batch to tracking FCR, EPEF and profit per bird at clearing.
Step by step
- 1
Create your account and farm
Start free with your name, email, country and mobile number — no card needed. We email you a link to confirm your address; open it and choose a password.
On first sign-in you'll set your Farm details. Give the farm a name, set its location, pick your country (this sets your currency for every money figure), and choose the farm type — for this guide, select Broilers (meat).
Not ready to type in real data yet? You can load a sample farm with one click to explore how everything looks, then remove it later.
Enter: Farm name · Farm type: Broilers (meat) · Location · Country / currency
Tip: You can run several farms from one login and switch between them from the top-left farm switcher — handy if you add more houses or a second site later.
- 2
Place your first broiler batch
Create a batch for the birds you've placed. A broiler batch is a short cycle — usually a 35–45 day grow-out — so you'll close it at clearing and start a fresh one. Name it by cycle, such as the month placed.
Enter the breed, hatchery/source, the arrival (day-old placement) date and the number of chicks placed, and assign it to a shed.
Enter: Batch code / name · Breed (e.g. Ross 308, Cobb 500) · Hatchery / source · Placement date · Chicks placed · Shed
Tip: Keep each cycle as its own batch rather than reusing one — that's what lets you compare FCR and profit from one cycle to the next.
- 3
Set up your feed
Add each feed you use as a feed item so FlockPulse can track stock, spending and feed conversion. For every item set the bag weight, cost per bag, your opening stock in bags, and a reorder level — the dashboard flags any item at or below that level so you never run out.
Then record feed purchases as you buy them. That keeps your feed cost — usually 65–75% of a poultry farm's cost — accurate to the day.
Broilers eat in phases, so add Starter, Grower and Finisher as separate feed items. You'll switch which one you log as the birds age.
Enter: Feed name · Bag weight (kg) · Cost per bag · Opening stock (bags) · Reorder level (bags)
Tip: Set a realistic reorder level (e.g. 3–5 days of feed) so the low-stock alert reaches you with time to re-order.
- 4
Log mortality, feed use and health daily
This daily rhythm is what every chart and number is built on, so make it a habit — a couple of minutes each morning.
Record the day's mortality (how many birds died, and the cause), the feed given to each batch, and any treatments. Add your vaccination schedule once and FlockPulse reminds you before each shot is due — overdue vaccinations show up on the dashboard's "Needs attention" panel.
Enter: Deaths (count + cause) · Feed used per batch · Treatments / medication · Vaccination schedule
Tip: Field staff can be given a worker login that only enters daily data and never sees money figures — see step 8.
- 5
Record weight samples
Weigh a sample of birds each week and record the average weight and how many you weighed. FlockPulse plots your growth curve against target and keeps your running FCR (feed conversion ratio) and EPEF (European Production Efficiency Factor) up to date.
FCR — feed used per kg of liveweight — is the number that decides a broiler batch's profit. EPEF rolls weight, FCR, mortality and age into one score (300+ is good, 400+ is excellent) so you can compare one batch to the next.
Enter: Sample date · Average weight (g) · Sample size (birds weighed)
Tip: Weigh at the same age/day each week, and sample from different parts of the shed for a fair average.
- 6
Record sales and buyers
Add your buyers once, then record each sale against a batch: the product, quantity, unit, price and how much was paid. FlockPulse tracks your revenue and shows who still owes you, so no payment slips through.
Broiler farms sell live birds — usually by weight (kg) at clearing, sometimes per bird — plus any culls. A big clearing sale is often split across a few buyers; record each one.
Enter: Buyer · Product · Quantity + unit · Unit price · Amount paid · Status
Tip: Log the sale even if it isn't fully paid — mark the amount received and FlockPulse carries the balance as outstanding.
- 7
Close the batch and settle
When the batch is cleared, close it and run Settlement. FlockPulse produces the full picture: final FCR and EPEF, mortality %, total feed and costs, revenue, and your profit per bird. Then start your next batch — your history carries forward so you can compare cycle on cycle.
Tip: Compare EPEF and cost-per-bird across batches to see whether a feed, breed or management change actually paid off.
- 8
Invite your team (optional)
If others help run the farm, invite them so they can enter data for you. Managers get full access including money figures; field staff (workers) get a simpler view for daily entry with no financials. Assign each person to the specific farms they work on.
Enter: Email · Role (manager / field staff) · Farm access
What your dashboard shows
- Average weight —
- Latest sampled liveweight against the target growth curve.
- FCR —
- Feed conversion ratio — kg of feed per kg of liveweight. The number that makes or breaks a batch.
- EPEF —
- A single efficiency score from weight, FCR, mortality and age (300+ good, 400+ excellent).
- Mortality % —
- Deaths against chicks placed, with spikes flagged early.
- Profit per bird —
- At settlement — revenue minus feed, chicks and expenses, divided across the birds sold.
Questions
Do I record eggs for broilers?
No — for broilers the production record is weekly weight samples, not eggs. Egg collection is a layer record. Running both? Use a Mixed farm.
When do I see FCR and EPEF?
They update as you log feed and weight samples through the cycle, and the final figures are locked in when you close the batch and run Settlement.
How do I handle back-to-back cycles?
Close and settle the finished batch, then place a new batch in the same shed. Your history stays, so you can line up cycle against cycle.
Ready to set up your broiler farm?
Free to start, no card — or load a sample farm first.