[OC] I calculated my newborn’s Feed Conversion Ratio

5 comments

1. I used to work in animal nutrition and we would calculate “Feed Conversion Ratio” (FCR) = [Animal Feed Eaten] / [Weight Gained]. A lower ratio closer to 1 was the most ideal; the most efficient animal is a factory farmed broiler chicken at an FCR of ~1.5ish. So for every 1.5 kg of feed given, it puts on 1.5 kg of weight. The inverse of this is 67% (weight / feed).

   I did the same calculation for my baby, and found a baby is *almost* as efficient as a factory farmed broiler chicken.

2. Congrats on the baby!

   Also this is really interesting data, I knew babies grows fast but hadn’t thought about the efficiency

3. The way I visualize it is a 1L Nalgene bottle, representing 1L of milk that we feed to our newborn. I imagine the Nalgene filled with the output of that food – some of it poop, some pee, some muscle, …

4. Next you need to do a forecast .
   If they keep up this rate this kids going to be enormous by 18

5. But what is your wife’s feed conversion ratio for her milk? Dairy farmers calculate this too!