Broiler Feeding Schedule in Ghana: Week-by-Week Guide

Why a feeding schedule matters more than the feed bag

Many farmers buy feed by the bag and feed by habit. A flock fed that way often grows well for the first two weeks and then drifts, because nobody noticed when the chicks needed a different diet or when the feeder was running empty at the wrong times. A written feeding schedule turns feed into a set of checkpoints you can test every week.

At our hatchery in Kasoa we send out chicks with a simple reminder of the phases, but the schedule is only useful if you connect it to your own flock. Your birds, your house and your mill will not behave exactly like a planning table. The schedule tells you what to expect, and your weekly weight sample tells you whether the flock agrees. If you are still choosing your chicks, our broiler day-old chicks page lists the options.

This article gives the phases, the amounts per bird, a week-by-week table, a feed budget for a 50-bird batch and a checklist you can use each week. For the reasons behind the breed targets, see our Ross 308 guide, and for the heavier-bird levers that go beyond feed, see our guide to heavier broilers.

The three phases: what each one is for

A broiler diet is split into three phases because a chick and a six-week-old bird need different things. The starter phase supports early development and feather growth, the grower phase supports the fast weight gain of the middle weeks, and the finisher phase supports the last weeks of heavy eating without adding unnecessary fat.

• Starter, days 1 to 14. Crumble feed with fine particles that small chicks can pick up easily. It carries the highest protein per kilogram of the three diets, and it is offered freely from the first hour.
• Grower, days 15 to 28. Pellets or coarse crumble, which waste less and suit the larger birds. This is the phase in which most of the weight is built, so feeder space and water access matter most here.
• Finisher, days 29 to 42. Larger pellets with energy and protein set for the final growth push. Intake is at its highest, so watch the feeder fill and the litter underneath it.

Switch between phases on the basis of the flock. A slow flock should not be moved to a finisher just because the date has arrived, and a flock that is already heavy may be ready early. Your weekly sample weight decides which situation you are in.

Feed forms: mash, crumble and pellets

The physical form of the feed affects how much the birds eat and how much they waste. Choose a form that suits the age of the bird rather than the price per bag alone.

Whatever form you use, keep the feed dry and clean. Damp or mouldy feed is a health risk, not just a waste of money, and it can cut intake sharply before anyone notices a change in the birds.

Feed amounts per bird, phase by phase

The figures below are examples to plan with, not a rule for your flock. They reflect a fast-growing broiler on a standard three-phase programme, reaching about 2.3 to 2.4 kg live at six weeks, which is a sensible planning target for Ghana with good management. Your own intake will vary with the house, the season and the feed quality.

• Starter (days 1 to 14): about 0.5 kg of feed per bird in total.
• Grower (days 15 to 28): about 1.4 kg of feed per bird in total.
• Finisher (days 29 to 42): about 2.5 kg of feed per bird in total.

Those three phases add up to roughly 4.4 kg of feed per bird by six weeks. Divide that by a live weight of 2.3 to 2.4 kg and you get a feed conversion ratio near 1.9. A flock that finishes well above that ratio is using feed that is not turning into weight, and that is the first place to look.

Feed is often the biggest single cost on the farm, so it helps to know these amounts before the first bag is opened. Our starting budget guide shows where feed sits among the other costs. Multiply the per-bird figures by your batch size and by the price of the feed you buy, and you have the bill you should expect at each stage.

Week-by-week feed and weight table

This table is the core of the schedule. It gives the feed each bird should eat in each week, the running total, and the average live weight you should see at the end of the week. Use it as a checkpoint, and adjust your feed plan if the weigh-ins fall outside the range for two weeks in a row.

Read the table as a conversation with the flock. If week-two weight is on target but week-four weight is short, the problem usually sits in weeks three and four, such as feeder space, heat or a delayed grower switch. If every week runs a little light, look at water first, then the feed itself.

Water: the part of the schedule most farmers forget

Water is part of the feeding programme, and a broiler that cannot drink freely cannot eat freely either. As a working rule, a flock drinks roughly 1.6 to 2 litres of water for every kilogram of feed it eats. That ratio rises in hot weather, when birds drink more to cool themselves.

Put the rule into numbers for a bird in week six. It eats about 195 g of feed a day, so in mild weather it needs roughly 0.3 to 0.4 litres of water a day. In the hot season, that can double. A drinker line that runs dry for an hour in the afternoon costs more intake than most growers realise.

1. On arrival, dip each chick's beak into water so it learns where the water is, and make sure drinkers and feed are within easy reach.
2. Check that every drinker is flowing, clean and at the right height as the birds grow.
3. Keep a spare supply of water ready for power cuts and pump failures.
4. Record water checks alongside feed checks, so a drop in intake can be traced to its real cause.

How to switch feed without a growth dip

Every phase change, and every change of mill, risks a short dip in intake while the birds get used to the new taste and texture. A gradual change over three to four days avoids most of that dip. Use the transition table as a guide, and keep the old feed on hand until the change is complete.

Do not mix feeds that are very different in form at the same time, such as a crumble and a large pellet, without watching the birds closely. If the intake falls on the first day of the change, slow the transition down rather than pushing through it.

Feeding times and heat in Ghana's climate

In Ghana the feeding programme has to fit the weather. Birds eat more in the cool hours of the morning and evening, and they eat less at midday when the house is hot. A feeder that is full at midday and still full at dusk tells you the birds are not eating, and the cause is usually heat rather than feed quality.

Plan refills around the day. Fill the feeders early in the morning, top up in the late afternoon, and avoid heavy refills at the hottest part of the day. Where the house is very hot, consider a small extra refill in the cool of the evening, so that the birds have feed available through the night without filling up at midday. Check the feed for heat damage too: feed left in a hot, damp feeder can turn stale quickly. If the house itself runs hot, our broiler house set-up guide covers ventilation from the design stage.

In the rainy months, the risk shifts to damp feed. Feed that has picked up moisture from the air or from a wet floor can grow mould, and mould in feed is a health risk for the flock. Discard any feed that is clumped, musty or discoloured, and speak to your mill if the problem keeps recurring.

Storing feed in Ghana's humidity

Feed loses quality in storage, and humid conditions speed that up. A bag that looks fine on the day of delivery can be spoiled a few weeks later if it has been left against a damp wall or in a hot store. Good storage is cheap insurance.

• Store bags on pallets or racks, off the floor and away from walls.
• Keep the store dry, ventilated and out of direct sun.
• Use older bags first, and mark the date of delivery on each one.
• Close opened bags tightly, and do not leave them open to the air between feeds.
• Check for insects, rodents and clumping every time you open a bag.
• Buy only what you will use within a short period, rather than stocking up for months in a humid season.

A feed budget for a 50-bird batch

To plan the cash flow, multiply the weekly per-bird figures by the number of birds in your batch. The table below does that for a 50-bird batch. It assumes all birds survive, so add a small margin for losses when you order feed for a real batch. If you are planning for a flock larger than 50 birds, our bulk day-old chicks page explains how larger orders are handled.

The batch needs about 218 kg of feed, of which 25 kg is starter, 70 kg is grower and 123 kg is finisher. Notice that the last two weeks account for more than half of the total feed. A delay in the market date or a flock that eats less than planned changes that bill quickly, so keep the schedule under review.

Common feeding mistakes and what they cost

Most feeding problems are ordinary mistakes that can be fixed with a little attention. These are the ones we hear about most often from growers, with the cost of each.

• Switching phases on the calendar alone. A slow flock on finisher feed grows little extra and wastes its protein. A fast flock held back on grower feed loses time it cannot easily win back.
• Letting feeders run empty. Birds that go hungry for a few hours at a time grow unevenly, and the flock spreads out in weight.
• Overfilling feeders. Feed trampled into the litter gets wet and wasted, and it can cause ammonia problems in the house.
• Ignoring water. Intake falls quickly when drinkers run dry, and the drop is often blamed on the feed.
• Buying cheap feed without checking it. A low price per bag can hide a poor nutrient profile or mould that costs far more in weight than it saved.
• Using layer feed for broilers. Layer feed is formulated for laying hens, with extra calcium for shell formation, and it does not match the broiler's needs. If you are unsure whether broilers or layers suit your plans, our broiler versus layer comparison is a useful start.

A weekly feeding checklist you can print

Use this checklist once a week, ideally on the same day, and file it with your batch records, as set out in our record-keeping guide. Over a few batches it becomes the most useful record you keep.

1. Weigh a random sample of 10 to 20 birds and compare the average with the table.
2. Record the feed used this week, and compare it with the expected figure for the flock size.
3. Check that the phase is right for the weight and appetite, not just the calendar.
4. Confirm that every feeder has feed and is set at the correct height for the birds.
5. Check the water supply, the drinkers and the flow rate across the house.
6. Inspect the feed store for damp, mould, pests and clumped bags.
7. Note any change in intake, droppings or behaviour, and discuss it with your vet if it persists.

Questions farmers ask