Count the hours on your farm before you advertise, then write the routine, the pay and the rules down before the first day.
Halaal Farms Ghana team14 July 2026 · 11 min read
Before you put an advert on a notice board or ask a cousin to come and help, count your hours. Write down every task on the farm for one normal week, with the time each one takes. Include the early feed round, the water, the dead birds, the litter, the cleaning, the trips to town and the records. Most people who want their first worker discover that the job is bigger than they thought, and that some of it has to be done by them no matter what.
This article covers the practical side of taking on your first farm worker: how to work out whether you need one, what the job really involves, how to pay and keep records of it, and how to find someone who will still be there after the first hatch. The examples come from running a hatchery and importing business in Opeikuma, Kasoa, where the birds do not wait for anyone to be in a good mood.
A small broiler house of 100 birds does not need a full-time worker in the same way a layer house of several hundred birds does. The work follows the birds. Early in the batch there is little to do beyond feed, water and a daily check. Later the birds eat more, the litter needs turning, the dead birds need removing and recording, and the house needs cleaning between batches. A worker who is idle in week one may be exhausted in week six.
Make the list. For each task, write how many minutes it takes and how often it happens. Then add them up for a typical day. If the total is less than two hours, you may be able to manage with a helper for a few hours a week. If it is more, and it keeps you from your other work, a worker is worth thinking about. Our guide on running poultry as a side business covers the same question from the side of someone with a day job.
Write the daily routine on one page and keep it by the house door. A worker who knows the order of the day makes fewer mistakes than one who is told something new every morning. The table below is a starting point for a broiler house. Change the times to suit your birds and the layout of your own yard.
| Time | Task | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 am | First round of the house | Birds spread out, no crowding in a corner, no sick bird standing apart |
| 6:30 am | Fresh water and first feed | Drinkers clean and working, feed in the trough, no spilled bags open to rats |
| 8:00 am | Count and record dead birds | Cause if obvious, number in the book, bird removed from the house |
| 10:00 am | Litter and cleaning check | Wet or caked patches, feeder and drinker cleanliness, dust levels |
| 12:00 noon | Temperature and ventilation check | Birds not panting, not bunched under the lamp, air moving without draughts at bird height |
| 4:00 pm | Second feed and water | Enough for the night, lamp working, no gaps in fencing |
| 6:00 pm | Final round and closing up | Doors latched, predators kept out, records filled in before leaving |
Two parts of the routine deserve extra attention. The first is the dead-bird record. A worker who writes down every bird lost, with the date and any visible cause, is giving you the most useful information on the farm. A worker who removes the bird quietly and says nothing is hiding the trouble. Tell your worker that a dead bird reported honestly is never a cause for punishment on its own. Hidden losses are the problem.
The second is the medicine and vaccine record. Some tasks are simple, such as giving water with a vaccine as instructed. Others need care with dates and withdrawal periods. Write each one down, and make sure your worker knows where the record sits. We tell customers what was given at hatch, so keep that record with your own farm book from day one. The guide on keeping a treatment and withdrawal record shows how to lay it out.
Here is where many small farms go wrong. The hire is made on trust, the pay is agreed in a few words, and nothing is written down. Three months later both sides remember the deal differently. Avoid that from the start.
Family and friends are the usual first source, and sometimes they are the right choice. The risk is that a relationship makes it harder to say that a task was missed. If you hire someone you know, be even more careful about the written terms, and agree on how problems will be raised before they happen.
When you interview, look past the confidence. Ask practical questions. What would you do if three birds were lying still in the morning? How would you tell the difference between a bird that is resting and one that is sick? What would you write in the book? Someone who answers with specifics has probably worked around animals or in a shop where records matter. Someone who answers vaguely will need closer watching.
Ask for two people who worked with the candidate before, and call them. Ask about punctuality, honesty and whether they were willing to do the unglamorous jobs. Keep the questions short and factual, and do not expect every call to be warm.
Then run a trial. A week or two of paid trial work, on the real routine, will tell you more than any interview. Watch whether the person arrives on time, whether the records are complete, and whether they ask for help when they need it. Someone who admits a mistake early is usually easier to train than someone who hides it.
Plan the first four weeks on purpose. In week one, do the routine together, every task, every morning, with you doing the explaining. In week two, let the worker do it while you watch. In week three, step back and check the records each evening. In week four, the worker should be able to run a full day with you away for an hour.
Keep the lessons practical. Show how to tell a healthy chick from a dull one, how the feeder and drinker should look, and how to count the dead without stress. Explain why the temperature matters and what it looks like when the birds are too hot or too cold. A worker who understands the reason for a task is less likely to skip it on a busy day.
Also say what not to do. Do not let the worker mix medicines or change the feed without asking you. Do not let them give a sick bird a treatment you have not approved. These rules protect the birds, the records and the worker.
A good worker is not kept by pay alone, though pay matters. They stay when they know what is expected, when the work is not a constant emergency, and when they are treated as part of the farm. Give them the tools that work. Replace the broken bucket and the cracked drinker. Give them a clean place to wash.
Let them learn more. A worker who learns to read the feed label, record the weights, or spot the first signs of trouble becomes more valuable to you. It also gives them a reason to stay. Talk to them once a week about what went well and what needs fixing. Keep it short and specific.
Agree on sick days and holidays before they are needed. Decide who covers the morning round when the worker is ill, and how much notice is needed for leave. Confusion over these points is one of the most common reasons a small farm loses a good person.
Sometimes the hire is wrong. Look for the signs early: records that are always blank, dead birds that are never reported, tasks left for the afternoon that never get done, or excuses that change every week. Deal with it quickly and kindly. Explain what you saw, what you expect, and by when. If nothing changes, end the arrangement properly, pay what is owed, and get the handover done before the next batch arrives.
A farm that runs on one person's knowledge is fragile. Write the routine down, keep the records in one place, and make sure at least one other person knows where everything is. That is good management whether or not you ever hire anyone.
There is no single number. Count the hours of work on the farm for one normal week, as described above. If the daily total takes most of your available time, or you are missing rounds because of other work, a worker is worth considering.
Most small farms pay a monthly or weekly wage, because the work is steady even when the flock is small. Piece pay can encourage rushing and hidden losses. Whatever you choose, write the terms down and confirm the current legal rules first.
Start with a simple two-column sheet: date, and number of birds found dead. Add a column for anything unusual. Build from there. Accuracy matters more than detail in the first month.
Not every day, but you need to check the records every day, even when you are not there. A worker can run the routine alone once the first month is done, provided you review the book and walk through the house regularly.
A worker needs birds to look after, and the first batch is the best time to set up the routine on paper. Send the order form on our site or call 024 915 1503. An order starts with a message, not with money. We confirm the price, the hatch date and the delivery cost before you pay, and you can pay by cash, mobile money or bank transfer. If this is your first box, read the first-batch mistakes that cost the most before the chicks arrive, and see our broiler day-old chicks for the breeds we supply. Chicks that are dead on arrival are replaced free in the next hatch. You can also write to support@halaalfarmsghana.com.
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.
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