How the European Production Efficiency Factor is worked out, what the bands mean, and why a high score is not always a high profit.
When you run several batches a year, memory is a poor judge. One batch felt good because the weather was kind, another felt bad because of one rough week. EPEF gives you a single number that rewards the things that matter in broilers: survival, growth, feed efficiency and speed.
The formula
EPEF = livability % × average weight in kg × 100, divided by (FCR × age in days).
Take a batch with 96% livability, 1.9 kg average weight, FCR 1.6 and sold at 38 days. Multiply 96 by 1.9 by 100 to get 18,240. Divide by 1.6 times 38, which is 60.8. The result is 300. A commercial result, but with room to improve.
What the bands mean
- Below 300: poor. Something basic is off, such as mortality, feed or brooding.
- 300 to 399: commercial. Typical of many working farms.
- 400 to 449: good. Management and environment are working together.
- 450 and above: excellent. Rare and worth studying.
Which lever moves it most
Every term matters, but they are not equally easy to change. Livability is often the cheapest win: moving from 94% to 97% is a three-point swing on the top of the formula. Shortening the cycle by two days at the same weight also raises the score noticeably, but only if your buyer accepts the weight.
FCR improvements are real but slower to achieve. Weight and age move together, so be careful not to chase weight by keeping birds too long.
Limits of EPEF
EPEF does not know your prices. A batch with an excellent score can still lose money if chicks were expensive or the market fell at sale time. A fast, efficient batch sold into a weak market may earn less than a slightly slower one sold well. Use EPEF to judge management, and use profit per bird to judge business.
Compare batches only against similar conditions. Summer and winter batches face different challenges, so compare summer to summer.
Using it in practice
Calculate EPEF for every batch at closing and write it next to the date. After four or five batches you will see which season and which shed give the best results. The free EPEF calculator does the arithmetic, and Poultry Curve shows it for each batch automatically.