Day-old chicks in Bono East: a supplier for Techiman, Kintampo and the middle belt

Why Bono East is a poultry crossroads

Bono East is the place where southern Ghana turns into the north. Techiman has one of the country's biggest food markets, drawing traders from the forest zone and the savanna, and Kintampo sits on the main road between Kumasi and Tamale, where buses, trucks and travellers stop day and night. That position makes poultry farming in the region different from, say, a farm near the coast.

First, buyers come from both directions. Southern traders want broilers and eggs for their cities, while northern buyers want guinea fowl, cockerels and hardy local-type birds. Second, travellers need food. Chop bars, roadside kitchens and lorry stops create steady demand for cooked chicken. Third, the region produces maize, yam, cashew and other crops, so feed ingredients are within reach for some farmers.

This page looks at Bono East through those three business angles rather than a single bird: the trader, the road-food seller and the compound farmer. Pick the one closest to you.

Model one: the market trader's broiler cycle

If you plan to sell to traders and at the Techiman market, you need predictable, repeating batches of Cobb 500 or Ross 308. Both start from GH₵ 20 per chick and reach market size at roughly 5 to 6 weeks.

Here is how a simple repeating cycle works for a Techiman farmer:

Two houses, or one house split into two sections, let you overlap batches and sell something every two to three weeks. Always clean and rest each section between batches. Our guide to broiler vs layer vs Sasso can help you decide whether this model is right.

The danger in this model is a glut. Everyone in town sells broilers before the same festival. Try to sell in the quieter weeks too, or after a festival, when fewer farmers have birds ready.

Model two: the roadside kitchen supplier

Kintampo and the junction towns run on traffic. A farmer who supplies a regular chop bar or roadside cook has something more reliable than a market price: a standing order. That means consistent size and a delivery schedule, not just the cheapest bird.

For that kind of customer, two features matter more than price:

• Uniform weight. Cooks want birds of a similar size. This comes from even brooding, enough feeder space and keeping the flock the same age.
• Dependable dates. Staggered boxes of 50 every two weeks make it easier to supply someone every week.

Some cooks prefer firmer meat from a slower bird, and Sasso (from GH₵ 13) or Kuroiler (from GH₵ 11) are worth trying for them, since the meat is leaner than a fast broiler and many people like the traditional taste. You can offer a tasting to your first customer before scaling up.

Read more about these on the Sasso page and the Kuroiler and Noiler page.

Model three: the compound farmer with guinea fowl and cockerels

Many families around Atebubu, Nkoranza, Kintampo and the surrounding villages keep birds in the compound and sell some when cash is needed. Their birds forage for insects, grain and kitchen scraps, which cuts feed cost.

For these farmers we usually suggest a mix:

• Guinea fowl keets (from GH₵ 17). Popular across the north and highly valued at festivals and funerals. They need warmth and a careful first three weeks. See guinea fowl keets in Ghana.
• White cockerels (from GH₵ 3). A cheap meat bird for fast cash.
• Sasso or Kuroiler for the family flock that lays and sells.

A starter combination might be 50 keets (GH₵ 850), 50 Sasso (GH₵ 650) and 50 cockerels (GH₵ 150), a total of GH₵ 1,650 for chicks across three boxes, before delivery. That gives you three different products with three different selling dates. If one fails or sells slowly, the others carry you.

Compare the prices on our price list, and confirm today's figures on WhatsApp.

How chicks get from Kasoa to Techiman and Kintampo

Techiman is about 370 km from our hatchery and the road trip usually takes 6 to 7 hours. Kintampo is a bit further north. The route runs through Kumasi, where traffic can slow things down, and then on to Techiman, which makes planning important.

Chicks hatch at our Kasoa hatchery on day 21 after 18 days in the setter and then the hatcher. We vaccinate and box them in ventilated boxes of 50, then dispatch them the same day with trusted transport to the station in your town. A day-old chick carries enough absorbed yolk to live for about 48 hours, so a single-day journey is well inside the margin.

Because the road passes through Kumasi, some Bono East farmers ask whether they can collect from a Kumasi station. Usually your nearest town station is easier, but tell us your preference and we will check with the transport operator. See the delivery page for the general process. Delivery cost is confirmed before you pay.

Farmers in the neighbouring Bono Region and Ashanti Region use the same road, so if you have a friend who ordered recently, ask them how the arrival went.

A seasonal calendar for the middle belt

Bono East has a distinct rainy season and a long dry season. In the dry months, between roughly November and March, the harmattan brings dust, cool nights and low humidity, and grass fires are a risk around farms. In the rainy months, humidity and mud become the main concerns.

Fire is worth a special mention. In the dry season, bush fires can threaten pens and feed stores. Clear a firebreak around your farm and keep water ready.

Christmas, Easter and the Eid periods raise demand, and in a trading hub like Techiman you will compete with others for transport and hatch dates. See when to buy chicks for Christmas for a planning timeline.

Arrival-day routine for a hot, dry station

Stations in Techiman and Kintampo are busy places. Vehicles, passengers and loads all crowd together under strong sun. Chicks suffer if they wait. Use this routine:

1. Be there early and know the driver's name and number.
2. Take a cover or a wet cloth for the car, not the boxes, so the vehicle cools. Boxes must keep their air holes open.
3. Open one box to look. Chicks should be dry, bright and standing.
4. Count each box of 50. If any are dead on arrival, take a photo and send it to us on WhatsApp the same day.
5. Take the chicks straight to a brooder that has been warm for hours. Put clean water in front of them first, then feed.

For the brooder itself, see our guide to brooder setup. In the dry season, you may not need as much heat in the day, but nights can surprise you, so check chicks after dark.

Vaccination, records and biosecurity at a trading hub

Birds, traders and vehicles move through Techiman every day, so disease prevention deserves care. Our chicks are vaccinated at the hatchery against Marek's disease, Newcastle disease (NCD), Gumboro (IBD), infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis. The batch record we supply lets your vet plan boosters, and you should follow your vet's schedule rather than guessing.

Simple habits protect you:

• Never bring birds back from the market into your pen.
• Use your own crates and clean them after every trip.
• Keep visitors out of the brooder.
• Keep feed off the floor and away from rodents.

We offer free advice before and after delivery, so send a clear photo or a short video if something worries you. More general questions are answered in the FAQ.

Bigger orders, imports and hatching your own eggs

Larger farms in Bono East can order 1,000 or more chicks. These are quoted individually, so message us with the breed, number and dates, and we will plan the hatches. See bulk day-old chicks.

If you want a specific line from Europe, we import from hatcheries in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Imported chicks travel with a veterinary health certificate and are cleared at Kotoka in Accra under a Ghana import permit from the Veterinary Services Directorate. Please book 3 to 4 weeks ahead. Details are on the imported chicks page.

Farmers who keep their own breeding birds may also use our hatching service for fertile eggs. Ask us for terms, as they depend on your eggs. Read the hatching service page.

Ordering for Bono East

Message us on WhatsApp at +233 24 915 1503, giving your town, birds, number of boxes and preferred date. We reply with a written price and delivery cost. You pay by mobile money, bank transfer or cash after that, never online. Our minimum is one box of 50.

You can also use the order form, explore all regions we serve or read about us. Farmers to the north should look at Northern Region, and those in the west at Ahafo.

Questions farmers ask