Three routes, three clocks: broilers from GH₵1,000 a box, layers from GH₵1,150, and dual-purpose birds from GH₵350, with what each one asks of you.
Halaal Farms Ghana team6 July 2026 · 10 min read
Start with the clock, not the breed. Each of the three main choices pays back on a different timetable, and the first question a beginner should answer is how long they can wait for the first sale. A bird that brings money in six weeks and a bird that brings money in a year are both good birds, but they are not the same decision, and they do not suit the same keeper.
This guide sets out the three routes for a beginner in Ghana: broilers, layers and cockerels or dual-purpose birds. It covers what each one asks of your house, your feed and your week, and what the chicks cost from our list. The prices are from-prices for a box of 50, and we confirm the current figure with you before any payment.
A broiler is grown for meat, and it is ready for market in about six to seven weeks. That speed is the reason most beginners start with it. The money comes back while you are still learning the routine, so a mistake shows up in weeks rather than in seasons.
A layer is a different kind of commitment. She is a long-term bird, and you will feed and house her for months before she lays her first egg. Only after that does the tray start to fill. From then on she needs feed every day whether or not the egg count is up, so the money goes out steadily from the first week and comes back slowly.
Cockerels and dual-purpose birds sit in between. They are raised for meat or for the festive market, and they take longer than a broiler to reach a size worth selling. Their feed bill runs for longer before the sale, and the sale is timed to a date rather than to a routine. That makes them a good first step for someone who wants to learn the animals without betting on a fast return.
Our broiler chicks are Ross 308 and Cobb 500, both imported. The price list starts at GH₵20 each, or GH₵1,000 for a box of 50. A broiler eats about 4.2 kg of feed to reach market, which means feed is more than half of what the bird costs you by the end. Plan the feed before you plan the chicks.
A well-managed broiler flock loses roughly 3 to 5 per cent, and a poorly managed one loses 10 to 20 per cent. The difference between those two figures is almost entirely about routine: water on time, litter kept dry, feed never running out, and somebody who looks at the birds every day. A broiler batch rewards a keeper who is consistent and punishes one who is only attentive now and then.
The house matters too. Broilers in the heat of the coastal afternoons need air moving through the shed and room to spread out. Harmattan nights ask for shelter and a dry floor. If you can keep to those basics, the broiler is the most forgiving route for a first batch, because the work is repeated every few weeks rather than carried for a year.
Our layer chicks are Hy-Line Brown at GH₵23 each, or GH₵1,150 for a box of 50. Hy-Line White and Bovans Brown are from GH₵25.50 each, or GH₵1,275 a box. Lohmann Brown and Australorp are priced on request, so ask us for today's figure. These are imported commercial layers, and they ask for a particular kind of management.
A layer needs the right feed at the right age, a house that stays calm and well lit, nest boxes she actually uses, and a buyer for the eggs. The feed plan runs for months before the first egg, and the house has to be ready before she starts laying, not after. If you are not ready to spend the first season on feed and records with no egg income, a layer will test your patience and your cash flow in equal measure.
If you cannot wait for a pullet to grow, point-of-lay pullets are another route. They are in the price range of GH₵1,000 to GH₵1,150 and skip most of the rearing period, though they come with their own cost and their own questions about the age and the condition of the bird. Ask us what we have on the week you want before you choose.
The dual-purpose list is the most varied, and it is where many beginners find their feet. Sasso is from GH₵13 each, or GH₵650 a box. Kuroiler and Noiler are from GH₵11 each, or GH₵550 a box. Plymouth and Barred Rock are from GH₵7 each, or GH₵350 a box. Australorp is on request. Each of these breeds has its own growth rate, its own look at market and its own buyers, so match the breed to the sale before you match it to the price.
Cockerels are a particular case. A cockerel reared for the festive market is sold to someone who wants a bird on a fixed date, usually for a family meal or a celebration. That buyer does not care about the egg count, only about the weight and the condition of the bird on the day. Our guide to cockerels for the festive market covers the calendar in more detail, and it is worth reading before you choose a cockerel route.
The cheapest chick on the list is not automatically the cheapest bird to raise. A Plymouth or Barred Rock box is the lowest outlay, but the bird takes longer to sell, and the feed runs for longer. Do the sum for the feed and the time, not only the chick price, before you decide.
The table below puts the three routes next to each other on the figures that matter most for a first decision. Chick prices are from-prices for one box of 50. Times are the honest rule of thumb for each route, and the daily job is the part people most often underestimate.
| Route | Chick from (box of 50) | What you sell | Time to first sale | Main daily job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broilers, Ross 308 or Cobb 500 | GH₵1,000 (GH₵20 each) | Whole birds at about 4.2 kg of feed each | About 6 to 7 weeks | Feed, water, litter, weekly weighing |
| Layers, Hy-Line Brown | GH₵1,150 (GH₵23 each) | Eggs, from first lay | Months before the first egg | Feed, lighting, nest boxes, egg collection |
| Layers, Hy-Line White or Bovans Brown | GH₵1,275 (GH₵25.50 each) | Eggs, from first lay | Months before the first egg | Feed, lighting, nest boxes, egg collection |
| Dual-purpose, Sasso | GH₵650 (GH₵13 each) | Meat birds or eggs, depending on the plan | Longer than a broiler | Feed, water, and checks on the growing birds |
| Dual-purpose, Kuroiler or Noiler | GH₵550 (GH₵11 each) | Meat birds or eggs, depending on the plan | Longer than a broiler | Feed, water, and checks on the growing birds |
| Dual-purpose, Plymouth or Barred Rock | GH₵350 (GH₵7 each) | Meat birds or eggs, depending on the plan | Longer than a broiler | Feed, water, and checks on the growing birds |
Read the table against your own situation. A keeper who needs money in the next two months has one answer. A keeper who wants eggs for a shop and can carry the cost for a year has another. A keeper who wants to learn the animals before committing much money has a third.
If you need cash inside a few months, start with broilers. Keep the batch small enough to manage well, and sell to a buyer you have lined up before the chicks arrive. The discipline you learn on a broiler batch carries over to every other route.
Eggs suit a keeper who has the house and the money for a long feed bill. Build the house, the nest boxes and the lighting before the birds reach laying age, and set up your egg buyers early. A layer farm that starts late in its planning spends the first season paying for things it could have bought in advance.
A keeper who wants to learn with the least money at risk should start with a dual-purpose bird. The chick is cheaper, the birds are more forgiving of small mistakes, and the festive market gives you a fixed date to aim at. You will learn the routine, the feed and the records without staking the whole budget on one batch.
Many farms run more than one route. A sensible pattern for a beginner is a first batch of broilers, followed by a dual-purpose batch once the routine is steady, and layers only once the house and the money can carry a long bet. Keep the feed, the records and the house for each route separate from the start, so that you can tell which one is paying.
The weather does not treat the three routes equally. Broilers grow fast, and a hot spell in the middle of a batch raises the stakes on water, airflow and stocking. Layers need steady light and calm, and a heat spike can drop the egg count. Dual-purpose birds are usually hardier on the feed, but they still need shade and clean water in the afternoons.
Harmattan mornings bring the cold to the house, and each route copes with it differently. A broiler needs dry litter and shelter to stay warm while it grows. A layer needs a house that holds its heat without trapping damp. Plan the house for the weather of the season the birds will be in, not the season you bought them in.
The Plymouth or Barred Rock box is the lowest chick outlay on our list, from GH₵350 for a box of 50. The cheapest chick is not always the cheapest outcome, because the feed and the time for a slower bird add up. Work out both before you decide.
Many farms do. Keep the two apart in your planning, your feed and your records from the first day, so that the figures for each route stay clear.
A broiler is bred for fast meat growth and goes to market in about six to seven weeks. A cockerel is a male bird raised for meat or the festive market, and it takes longer to reach a sale weight. The buyer and the date are different too.
Point-of-lay pullets are on our list in the GH₵1,000 to GH₵1,150 range. Confirm what we have for the week you want, because the availability changes.
Lohmann Brown and Australorp are priced on request. Ask us for today's figure before you set a budget.
Once you know which route fits your clock, send the order form on our site or call 024 915 1503 and name the breed you want. We confirm the price, the hatch date and the delivery cost before any money changes hands. If broilers are your first step, read the Cobb 500 guide alongside the Ross 308 notes, and then check the broiler day-old chicks page. If the festive market is your target, the cockerel guide sets out the calendar. For eggs, read our Hy-Line Brown guide before you choose the layer breed.
Written by the Halaal Farms Ghana team. We hatch and import day-old chicks at Opeikuma, Kasoa, and deliver to all 16 regions. This article is general guidance for farmers. For diagnosis and treatment of sick birds, speak to a vet or your district veterinary office.
A weekly weighing routine for broiler farmers: how to pick an honest sample, the weights to compare against from day 7 to day 42, the average and uniformity sums, and what to do when the flock is behind.
Feed cost per kilo of broiler depends on how much feed each kilo takes and what you pay for it. These ten habits lower both without starving the birds or buying additives.
Heat kills the heaviest broilers in the last days before sale. This guide explains why, shows the signs in order, and sets out the house, stocking, water and feeding changes that prevent it, plus an afternoon emergency plan.
