# Feather meal price USDA feather meal board price per ton, national fob plant median, with its cost per unit of protein and energy _Data through Aug 17, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 2026_ > Now $435/ton (national median across 3 fob plant regions) as of Aug 17, 2026, USDA, up 2% on the week. Protein costs $0.269 per lb of crude protein (76% of soybean meal); energy $0.333 per lb of TDN (317% of corn). Feather meal's crude protein is pricing at 76 percent of soybean meal on a per-pound basis. Its energy is less competitive at 317 percent of corn per pound of TDN. The national median reached $435 per ton as of Aug 17, up 2.4 percent on the week and 47.5 percent year over year, though 14.7 percent below the 4-year median. ## The numbers | Period | Current | Prior | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Week over week | $435/ton | $425/ton | +2.4% | | Month over month | $435/ton | $423/ton | +3.0% | | Year over year | $435/ton | $295/ton | +47.5% | | vs 4-yr median | $435/ton | $510/ton | -14.7% | ## About Feather meal price Feather meal is a protein feed, fed to raise a ration's crude-protein content. On a dry-matter basis it runs about 88% crude protein and 71% TDN, at about 92% dry matter as fed. Those figures come from Kansas State University Extension, Nutritional Composition of Feedstuffs for Beef Cattle (MF3648). Hydrolyzed; high CP but lower digestibility. TDN spans 68-79% by source. NEl not NRC-tabulated. The leaderboard uses them to convert this week's board price into a cost per pound of protein and per pound of energy, so it can be ranked against corn and soybean meal. Prices are quoted per ton, and the cheapest board price is not the cheapest fed price once freight and moisture are counted (see the FOB-vs-delivered guide). Feather meal comes from hydrolyzing poultry feathers, keratin broken down under pressure and heat until it digests, at rendering plants clustered near the broiler belt of Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama and the rest of the Southeast. Supply tracks broiler slaughter volume, not any crop. Its crude protein reads as the highest of any feedstuff on this board, but that number overstates real feeding value: feather protein is naturally short on lysine and methionine, and how well it digests depends on cooking, since overcooking destroys amino acids while undercooking leaves keratin the animal cannot break down. Pet food and aquaculture buyers compete hardest for the better-processed material. ## About this data - Source: USDA AMS feedstuffs board - Series: Feather meal board price - Basis: FOB plant preferred, national cross-region median - Geography: National - Unit: $/ton - Calculation period: Weekly cross-region median - Last observation: Aug 17, 2026 - Update frequency: Weekly --- Cite: Feather meal price is $435/ton as of Aug 17, 2026 (USDA feedstuffs board). The Ration. https://the-ration.com/ingredient/feather-meal Canonical URL: https://the-ration.com/ingredient/feather-meal