What is ADG (average daily gain) and how to calculate it

ADG (average daily gain) is probably the most important indicator of a finishing or growing operation. It measures how many kilos an animal gains on average per day, and almost everything depends on it: the time to sale, the cost per kilo and the profitability of your ranch.

The ADG formula

It is calculated like this:

ADG = (current weight − previous weight) ÷ days elapsed between the two weigh-ins.

Example: if a steer weighed 300 kg and 60 days later weighs 348 kg, it gained 48 kg in 60 days → ADG = 0.8 kg/day. The higher and more stable the ADG, the more efficient your fattening.

Why it matters so much

• It defines when to sell: with the ADG you project on what date the animal will reach the target weight.
• It detects problems in time: a falling ADG warns of poor nutrition, parasites or stress before the damage gets big.
• It measures pastures and lots: you compare the ADG by group and find where the pasture or the management is not paying off.

The mistake of measuring it by hand

Calculating ADG in a notebook is tedious and error prone: you have to find the previous weigh-in for each animal, subtract and divide by the days. That is why almost nobody does it consistently and the most valuable indicator gets lost.

How to automate it

A good cattle softwarecalculates ADG on its own: every time you log a weigh-in, it takes the animal's previous one, counts the days and returns the daily gain, plus the herd average. With Neoganadero you even log the weight by WhatsApp (“I weighed SC-0014, 452 kg”) and the ADG is ready instantly. See it in the interactive Neoganadero demo.

In short

ADG turns weight into a productivity signal you can manage. Measuring it well and consistently is one of the decisions that move the profitability of a cattle ranch the most. If you want to stop calculating it by hand, create your free account (90 days).