06/06/2025
HOW MANY BAGS OF FEED CAN FEED 1000 JUVENILES TO 1KG?
This is one of the most reoccurring questions that I keep getting across all social media platforms. This is because most farmers, especially the beginners and potential farmers, want to know how many bags of feed they should budget for while planning on starting their catfish farming business.
This is the million naira question (or rather, the hundreds of thousands of naira questions!). Getting this number wrong is the fastest way to run out of money, run out of feed, and run out of patience before your fish are ready for harvest, thereby leading to the biggest mistake of livestock farming: "SELLING AT DURESS!".
Let me start by making it clear that fish farming is serious business with heavy capital demands. It's a capital-intensive business, and to succeed, you need to be intentional about its heavy financial involvement. This is because almost all the major resources needed to thrive in the sector are sourced from a third party and must be paid for. Many beginners assume it's just "some feed," but understanding this number is the bedrock of your budget, your profit forecast, and your farm's survival.
Let me tell you right now: there's no magic, one-size-fits-all number. But there's a powerful tool, a key principle that every profitable catfish farmer lives by, that will give you the answer. It's called the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR).
THE UNSEEN POWER: UNDERSTANDING FCR
Most beginners tend to be more curious about the numbers of bags needed to feed their fish to their targeted market size while neglecting the major engine room in achieving the desired results faster and uniformly. The number of bags needed is important, but the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) is the most important key towards achieving your goal. Forget complicated formulas for a minute. FCR is simply this: How many kilograms of feed does it take for your fish to gain 1 kilogram of weight? If it's equivalent to the desired weight, then it's
