Poultry processor networks generate a lot of numbers, and most disagreements about those numbers are really disagreements about definitions. Is mortality computed from recorded losses or from bird-count deltas? Is water per bird in milliliters or liters? What does an equipment pass rate actually count? This glossary defines every metric the Poultry Log processor console reports, in the way the console computes it, so growers, integrators, and auditors are all reading the same number when they read the same number.
Fleet and Volume Metrics
Grower farms, houses, and active flocks
Counts of consented grower farms in the network, the total houses across those farms, and the flocks currently on feed. These are the denominators behind every rate in the console.
Birds placed and currently on feed
Placed is the cumulative count of birds placed into flocks in the network; currently on feed is the live count from active flock records. The gap between them, read against mortality and cull records, is what the mortality and cull rates are built from.
Compliance submissions
The count of submitted grower checklists in the network. It is a submission count, not a compliance percentage: the console deliberately does not compute a compliance score, because inventing one would misrepresent what was actually submitted.
House Performance Metrics
Mortality rate
Computed from the losses recorded for the active flock, not from bird-count deltas between placements. The recorded-loss approach reflects what the grower logged day by day, and avoids counting transfers or recount corrections as losses.
Cull rate
Birds removed alive from the active flock, as recorded by the grower, expressed against the same flock base as the mortality rate. A cull rate that rises without a corresponding mortality rise usually points to a different problem than disease pressure.
Average daily water and water per bird
Average daily water is reported in liters per house. Water per bird is reported in milliliters, converted automatically from whatever unit the grower logged: liters, US gallons, or imperial gallons. Per-bird figures are the comparable ones across farms of different sizes.
Weight versus target
The actual weight recorded for a flock week against the target weight for that week, both in grams. The console reports the gap per week rather than a final-flock verdict, so a widening trend is visible while there is still time to investigate.
Compliance and Alert Metrics
Equipment pass rate
The percentage of weekly equipment checks (generator, foot dips, fire extinguishers, auxiliary fans) submitted as pass rather than fail, reported per network per week. A generator failure is flagged critical severity in the alert stream.
Rodent incident rate
The percentage of weekly rodent inspections showing activity at three or more of the house's bait points, reported per network per week. Individual inspections cover up to twenty-five bait stations, each marked replaced, untouched, or not applicable.
Threshold warning and critical levels
The processor's own policy limits for mortality, culls, and water use, configured per metric and per period (day, week, or full flock), with optional rise and drop percentage checks. Breaches raise alerts with current versus previous rates attached.
Findings and acknowledgements
A finding is a benchmark or threshold observation generated from the processor's policy. An acknowledgement records that a processor team member reviewed it. Neither is a certification; both are part of the operational trail.
Flock Age Buckets
The fleet view groups active flocks as brooding (0 to 7 days), early growth (8 to 14), main growth (15 to 28), finishing (29 to 42), and heavy (43 plus). Age buckets exist so compliance submissions and performance readings can be read by stage rather than as one undifferentiated average.
Where Poultry Log Fits
Every metric in this glossary is computed from records growers already log in Poultry Log, which is why the definitions hold on both sides of the network. The console views are covered in the processor dashboard guide, the mortality and cull detail in the mortality and cull tracking guide, and the water figures in the water use monitoring guide. Start free at poultrylog.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is mortality rate calculated in Poultry Log's processor console?
From the losses recorded for the active flock, not from bird-count deltas between placements. The rate is shown per house with initial and current counts visible, so the denominator is always in view, and compared against the processor's own threshold policy by period.
Does the Poultry Log processor console compute a compliance percentage?
No. The console reports submissions, pass rates, incident rates, and threshold breaches, but deliberately does not invent a compliance score. A compliance percentage would misrepresent what the records actually show, so the console keeps to the evidence.
What units does the processor console use for water?
Average daily water is reported in liters per house, and water per bird in milliliters. Growers can log water in liters, US gallons, or imperial gallons; the console converts automatically so mixed-unit networks still compare cleanly.