Farm Operations8 min read

Batch Management

Batch management is the core of Livestork's farm operations module. A batch tracks a group of livestock from placement through to sale or closure, recording daily performance data and calculating FCR in real time.

What is a batch?

A batch represents a group of livestock managed together through a single production cycle. In broiler production, this is one flock from day-old placement to market sale, typically 5 to 8 weeks. In layer production, a batch tracks a laying flock through its entire laying period.

Batches accumulate daily data, including mortality counts, feed consumed, and current weight, from which Livestork calculates FCR, projects closing date, and generates performance reports.

A farm can have multiple batches active simultaneously, across different houses or sites. Each batch has its own independent data record and performance report.

Note

Batches are always linked to a specific farm site. If your organisation manages multiple sites, make sure to select the correct site when creating a batch; this determines which inventory and feed records are linked to the batch.

Creating a new batch

You need the Manager or Admin role to create batches. Operators can record daily updates on existing batches but cannot create new ones.

1
Navigate to Farm Operations > Batches
Click Batches in the left sidebar under the Farm Operations section.
2
Click "New Batch"
The New Batch button is in the top-right corner of the Batches list page.
3
Enter batch details
Fill in the batch name, livestock type (broiler, layer, pig, etc.), placement date, initial stock count, and the farm site. Assign a housing unit if applicable.
4
Set initial weight and source
Record the average initial weight per bird/animal and the supplier or hatchery of origin.
5
Save and activate
Click "Save Batch". The batch status will be set to Active and it will appear on the dashboard batch summary.

Batch naming convention

We recommend a consistent naming convention like SITE-BATCHNUM-YEAR (e.g. OGUN-B047-2026). Consistent names make batch reporting and searching significantly easier as your history grows.

Recording daily updates

Daily updates are the heartbeat of a batch. Each update captures:

Mortality: Number of deaths since the last update. Livestork tracks cumulative mortality and daily mortality rate.
Feed consumed: Quantity of feed given to the batch since the last update, in kg. Linked to your inventory automatically.
Current weight: Average live weight per bird/animal in kg. Used to calculate live weight gain and FCR.
Notes: Optional field for observations, health events, or veterinary visits.

To record a daily update, open the batch detail page and click Add Daily Update. Updates can be back-dated if you missed a day; Livestork will recalculate FCR for all subsequent days when a back-dated entry is saved.

Understanding FCR

FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio) measures how efficiently your livestock converts feed into body weight. It is calculated as:

FCR = Total Feed Consumed (kg) ÷ Total Weight Gained (kg)

A lower FCR is better; it means less feed was used to produce the same amount of weight gain.

Excellent

< 1.65

FCR for broilers

Target

1.65 – 1.80

FCR for broilers

Alert

> 1.80

FCR for broilers

FCR benchmarks vary by livestock type

The FCR ranges above are for commercial broiler production. Layer hens, pigs, and other livestock have different efficiency baselines. Livestork configures FCR alert thresholds per batch type; you can adjust the default alert level under Administration > Settings > Batch Thresholds.

Monitoring batch health

The batch detail page includes several monitoring panels:

FCR trend chart: Daily FCR plotted over time, with the target threshold highlighted.
Mortality chart: Cumulative and daily mortality rates.
Weight progression: Average live weight compared to breed growth standard.
Health events: Any disease events, medication records, or veterinary visits linked to this batch.

Missed daily updates

If daily updates are not recorded for more than 3 consecutive days, Livestork will flag the batch with a data gap alert on the dashboard. FCR calculations covering the gap period will be marked as estimates until the missing data is entered.

Closing a batch

A batch should be closed when all livestock from that batch have been sold or removed. Closing a batch finalises all calculations and generates the permanent performance report.

1
Open the batch detail page
Navigate to the batch you want to close from the Batches list.
2
Click "Close Batch"
This button appears in the top action area of the batch detail page. It is only visible when all required daily updates are current.
3
Enter closing data
Record the final bird/animal count, total weight sold, and the market or customer the batch was sold to.
4
Review the batch summary
Livestork will show a pre-close summary with total mortality, final FCR, total feed consumed, and estimated margin. Review this before confirming.
5
Confirm and close
Click Confirm Close. The batch status changes to Closed and a performance report is generated automatically.

Note

Closed batches are locked; daily updates cannot be added after closing. If you need to make a correction to a closed batch, contact your administrator who can unlock it for amendment.

Batch reports

After closing a batch, the Batch Performance Report is available from the batch detail page. It includes:

Final bird count, total mortality, and mortality rate
Total feed consumed and final FCR
Total live weight sold and revenue
Feed cost per kg live weight
Gross margin and profitability analysis

The report can be exported as a PDF or CSV from the batch detail page. For comparative analysis across multiple batches, use the Batch Comparison tool under Reports > Farm Performance.