Seven days out, the choices you make about feed, water, medicine and crates decide what the buyer sees on sale morning.
Halaal Farms Ghana team19 May 2026 · 12 min read
Count back seven days from the morning the buyer is coming. That is where this plan starts, because most of what goes wrong on sale morning was already decided by then. The feed in the store, the medicine dates in the record, the number of birds you think you have and the crates you meant to buy are either sorted or not by the time the week begins.
Agree the details in writing or by message, not only on the phone: the date, the time the buyer will collect, the number of birds, the price basis and how payment will be made. Cash, mobile money and bank transfer are all common, and each one needs a different check on the day. Decide now how the birds will be weighed or counted at the gate, so nobody is arguing about it when the van is in the yard.
Ask the buyer whether the date can move if the birds are not ready. A buyer who is flexible for a day or two is worth more to you than one who insists and then complains about small birds. If the plan changes, change it in writing too.
Do not change the feed brand or the mix in the last week unless you have to. A sudden change makes birds go off feed for a day or two, and that shows in the weight. Keep the feed steady and buy enough of the same batch to see the flock through to the sale.
Feed is the biggest cost on the farm, and a broiler takes roughly 4.2 kg of it to reach market. A 50 kg bag is broadly GH₵400 to GH₵470, depending on the brand and the season. Prices move, so confirm today's figure with your feed seller before you budget for the last week. Count the bags you have, work out how many you need to the sale date, and order the difference now rather than on the morning you run out.
Look at the record for every product that went into the water or feed, and the date it went in. Each one has a withdrawal period on its label, and that period has to have passed before the bird is sold. Our withdrawal guide covers how to read a label and keep a record a buyer can trust, so read it before this week starts.
If a date falls close to the sale, do not guess and do not rush it. Ask the supplier or your vet to confirm, and move the sale if you have to. A sale that is a day late is an inconvenience. A bird sold inside its withdrawal period is a problem for you, and for the people who end up eating it.
Keep the record in one place, on paper or in a notebook you carry to the house, and write each entry on the day it happens. A medicine date written from memory a week later is the kind of entry a buyer or a vet will question. The same goes for the feed batch. If you have to explain a change in weight, the batch number on the bag is often the first clue.
The table below is the plan we would follow in your place. Adjust it to your house and your buyer, but keep the order: decide early, weigh in the middle of the week, and leave the last two days for checks rather than catching up.
| Days before sale | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Confirm the buyer, date, bird count, collection time and price basis in writing | A plan agreed early rarely changes on the day |
| 6 | Check every withdrawal date against the medicine record | A date that has not passed cannot be undone at the gate |
| 5 | Weigh a sample and compare it with your target | There is still time to fix feed or water if you are behind |
| 4 | Check that crates are clean, sound and enough for the birds | Crates are the thing growers forget until the van is in the yard |
| 3 | Count the feed in stock and order anything short | Changing feed in the final days makes birds go off feed |
| 2 | Walk the house and note any lame or sick birds on their own line | Gives you a count before the buyer counts |
| 1 | Start any feed withdrawal your plan calls for, with water left on | Birds should not go to the gate dehydrated |
| Sale day | Catch in the cool hour, load calmly, count and record at the gate | Calm birds load with fewer losses and weigh better |
Water matters more in the last week than most growers expect. Check that every drinker runs freely, that none is leaking into the litter, and that the water line has not been blocked by slime or debris. A bird that has to walk further for water in the heat drinks less, and a flock that drinks less loses weight. Check the house temperature in the afternoon and look at the ventilation.
Look at the litter with your hand as well as your eye. It should be loose, dry on top and not sour. A wet patch near the drinkers in the last days is a problem you cannot fix in a day, so deal with it now. Turn the litter gently and top up where it has clumped.
Walk the house in the evening, when the birds are settled and the litter is quiet. Count the drinkers and make sure every one is running. Check the feed level in each feeder so that no corner is starved. Look for any bird that is sitting apart, and separate it now rather than in the morning. Then check that the crates are where you left them, the scale is hung and working, and the record is on a clipboard by the gate.
Keep the night simple. Birds that are handled late, or disturbed by a lamp and a crowd at midnight, arrive at the gate tired. If the buyer is coming early, put the crates out the evening before and leave the birds in peace until the cool of the morning.
Timing a sale is about the weather and the calendar together. In the harmattan, the air is dry and dusty and the mornings are cold, so birds huddle and dust gets into the house. Plan the sale for the hours when the birds are calm rather than the hours when the buyer is least busy. In the rains, the crates and the yard turn to mud and loading becomes slow and slippery, so have a dry standing area ready before the birds come out.
Festive demand is real. Christmas and the Sallah weeks pull buyers in at the same time, and the growers who have not agreed a date early are the ones who end up selling at whatever price is on offer that week. If your sale falls in one of those windows, confirm the buyer earlier than you think you need to.
Catch in the cool hour the buyer agreed, and have the crates ready and clean before the first bird comes out of the house. Count as you load, and write the number down where the buyer can see you do it. Keep a copy of the record, the withdrawal dates and the agreed price with you on the day. Birds that are calm and dry load better and weigh better, so keep the handling slow and the crates no more than comfortably full.
After the birds have gone, walk the house once more. Check for any bird that was missed, and record losses separately from the sale. Well-managed flocks run at about 3 to 5 per cent mortality across the batch. A number well above that in the final week tells you to look harder before the next batch goes in.
Think about the buyer's side as well. A buyer who has collected from you before will judge you on how the birds look on the day and whether the numbers matched what you agreed. Keep your promises small and exact. If you agreed a count, have that count in the crates, and if one is short, say so before the loading starts rather than after the buyer has driven off.
Have clean water and a shaded spot ready at the gate for any bird that needs a few minutes before it goes on the van. A bird that has been caught and carried is often thirsty and tired, and a short rest in the shade is kinder than rushing it into the crate. It also keeps the losses on the road down.
Write the final numbers while they are fresh: birds sold, birds lost, feed used, average weight, the price agreed and the amount paid. Compare them with your plan. The gap between the two is the most useful thing you will learn from this batch.
If you are restocking, book the chicks early. Confirm the price, hatch date and delivery cost with us before you pay anything. A new batch on the same timetable needs its feed and crates booked again, so start that conversation while the last batch's numbers are still in front of you.
Check the withdrawal dates and the weight before you agree. If the birds are not at the weight you planned, or a medicine date has not passed, say so and agree a new day. Do not sell early to keep a buyer if the record does not support it.
Only as your plan and the product labels call for. Some plans include a period without feed and others do not. Follow the label and confirm with your vet or supplier, rather than copying what a neighbour did.
In the last week. A sample on sale day tells you the result when nothing can be done about it. A sample five days out leaves time to fix feed or water.
Record them, note any cause you can see, and call a vet if deaths are more than a handful or rising. Well-managed flocks run at about 3 to 5 per cent. If your losses are heading toward 10 to 20 per cent, the cause needs looking at before the next batch.
The sale is the end of one batch and the start of the next. The farm-gate or market guide helps you decide where the birds should go, and the catching and loading guide covers the morning itself. If you are still deciding on a route, the delivery and transport guide sets out what the trip costs in practice.
For the next batch, see our how to order day-old chicks page, then send the order form on the site or call 024 915 1503. We confirm the price, hatch date and delivery cost before you pay.
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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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.
