It represents the difference between an animal’s actual feed consumption and its expected feed consumption based on its size and growth rate. A negative value indicates that the animal consumed less feed than predicted for its level of production, suggesting greater feed efficiency. Conversely, a positive value suggests lower feed efficiency, with the animal consuming more feed than expected. As an illustration, consider two animals with identical growth rates and body weights. If one animal consumes significantly less feed than the other, it will have a more favorable score, indicating superior efficiency.
The concept is valuable in animal breeding and management because it helps identify and select animals that convert feed into product (meat, milk, eggs) more efficiently. This efficiency leads to reduced feed costs for producers and a lower environmental footprint due to decreased resource utilization and waste production. Historically, assessing feed efficiency was complex and costly, often requiring individual animal feeding trials. This measure provides a more accessible and scalable metric for evaluating feed efficiency at a population level.
