Day-old chicks in Hohoe: guinea fowl, sasso and layers for the Volta hills

Hohoe at a glance, and why its orders differ

Hohoe is a town in the hills of the Volta Region, close to the waterfalls and forested slopes that draw visitors from across Ghana. The town and the villages around it are farming country. Cassava, plantain, cocoa on the slopes and maize in the lower fields keep families busy through the year, and poultry is one of the surest sources of cash and protein in the household.

Our Hohoe orders look different from our Accra orders. Fewer farmers want one large broiler house. More want a mixed plan: a few guinea fowl for the table and for sale, some sasso or noiler birds that can forage, and a small layer flock for eggs. We build that mix around what the customer can house and feed, not around what sells best in the city. You can read about our breeds before you decide.

The road from Kasoa, and the last hills

The distance from our hatchery to Hohoe is about 250 km, and a careful driver takes around five hours. The road runs east through the Volta Region and passes through Ho, the regional capital. The final stretch climbs into the hills, where the road bends often and the van slows. We plan the departure so the chicks reach the station in the cooler part of the day, not in the hot middle hours.

The journey is manageable for day-old chicks, which carry yolk from the hatch to support them on the road. The hills, however, make every stop and bend longer, so the boxes shift more and the air moves less. We stack boxes low, keep the load secured and ask the driver to avoid sudden stops, which keeps the chicks settled.

When the van reaches Hohoe, the boxes should go into shade at once and be opened in the brooder. They should not be left in a parked vehicle while the buyer finds a bucket or a helper. If the handover is going to be late, tell us on WhatsApp so we can plan around it. Our delivery page has more on how handovers are arranged.

Guinea fowl keets and the hill table

Guinea fowl keets are the birds most Hohoe buyers ask for by name. Guinea fowl are hardy, forage well and are valued for their meat and eggs, so a flock can earn a steady return from sales to neighbours and to the markets. The keets are the most delicate stage, though. They are smaller and more fragile than chicks, they need a quieter brooder, and the first few weeks are when you should be most careful.

Keets do well on a starter feed given in small amounts and often, and a keet pushed too hard in the first weeks will struggle later. Ask us to walk you through the feeding routine before you collect, and keep the brooder dry, warm and free from draughts. A guinea fowl keet is also more easily startled than a chick, so keep the brooder dim and calm and avoid sudden noise near the box.

Our guide to guinea fowl keets goes deeper on the first six weeks and on breeding flocks, if you plan to grow your own stock.

Hill weather: cooler nights, heavy rains and damp litter

The Volta highlands are wetter and cooler than the coastal plain. The rains are heavy from roughly April to July, with a second run in the autumn, and nights in the hill towns can be surprisingly cool. The main problem is damp. Wet litter, a leaking roof or a cold draught through a gap in the wall will do more harm to young birds than a slightly low brooder temperature.

Check the brooder at chick level each morning and evening. Chicks should be warm, dry, spread evenly and active. Replace wet litter early, stop drinkers spilling onto the floor and raise the heat source if the nights turn cold. In the drier months from December to March, harmattan dust is the other enemy, so keep feed covered and the house sealed against blowing dust.

Which birds suit the hill buyer

Our advice to Hohoe farmers starts with the land and the labour. A keeper with space to let birds forage, and a household to feed them, can do well with sasso and noiler flocks. A keeper with a closed shed and money for bought feed can run a layer flock. A keeper who wants meat for market and has the discipline to feed on time can try broilers, though in Hohoe most of the plans we see run better on a foraging bird than on a fast-growing line.

White cockerels are a cheap and useful addition for households that want meat in a hurry. Their starting price is GH₵ 3 a chick, or GH₵ 150 a box of 50, and they are a good way to learn how a flock behaves before you place a larger order.

A worked example: a mixed hill compound

Imagine a family compound in Hohoe with room for a small house and a fenced run. The plan is 50 Sasso hens for eggs and meat, 50 guinea fowl keets for sale in the dry season and 50 white cockerels for the family table. At our starting prices the Sasso cost 50 × GH₵ 13, which is GH₵ 650, the keets cost 50 × GH₵ 17, which is GH₵ 850, and the cockerels cost 50 × GH₵ 3, which is GH₵ 150. The chicks total GH₵ 1,650 before delivery.

That is three boxes of 50, and each box is a separate batch on the record. Feed for the keets and the cockerels is an extra cost, and you should plan it before the birds arrive. If the total feels high, drop one of the three lines and start the others, then add the rest when the first batch has paid for itself.

Arrival day in the Volta hills

Set up the brooder on the day before the van is due, with dry litter, a heat source tested at chick level, and feeders and drinkers placed where the birds will find them quickly. A keet brooder should be quiet and dim, since guinea fowl chicks are easily startled and pile up when frightened.

At handover in Hohoe, do the count before the van pulls away. Look for weak or dead birds, then open the boxes in shade, move the birds gently into the brooder and offer water first. Send the count and a photo to our WhatsApp line that day, since the photo is what we use to settle any dead-on-arrival claim.

• Set the brooder up the evening before.
• Count and photograph the birds on arrival.
• Water first, then light feed, in a warm and draught-free house.

Local hatch, imports and the lead time

Most Hohoe chicks come out of our Kasoa hatchery. The eggs sit in the setters at 37.5 °C for 18 days, then move to the hatcher until day 21, when the chicks are sorted and boxed. Each bird that leaves us has been vaccinated for Marek's, Newcastle, Gumboro, infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis, and the batch record in the box tells your vet exactly what was given.

When a line is not hatched locally, we can source from hatcheries in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Clearance is the slow part, since the paperwork and the permit must line up before the box can travel on, so the lead time is three to four weeks. The imported chicks page lists what to expect.

Festive demand and the calendar for Volta farmers

Christmas, Easter and the Eid festivals create the strongest demand for poultry in the Volta Region, as they do across Ghana. Families in Hohoe buy birds for big gatherings, and live birds sold in the weeks before a festival can pay for a whole batch. Guinea fowl and cockerels in particular are in demand for family events and ceremonies.

Work backwards from the date. Cockerels can reach a size worth selling within weeks, but guinea fowl take longer to mature, so book keets early if you want them ready for a particular celebration. A layer flock is a long-term decision, not a festival plan, and it should be placed with the feed budget for the first laying months already in view.

Health planning with a vet you can reach

Hill towns can be harder to reach by vet than the coastal towns, so plan ahead. Keep the batch record, note the date of every vaccine and every death, and agree a visit schedule with your vet before the birds are due. Follow your vet's schedule on boosters and treatment. Keep the flock separate from strays and visiting birds, and disinfect the brooder between batches.

Guinea fowl and chickens can share a compound, but they behave differently and should be managed with that in mind. If you keep both, watch feeding times and make sure the younger birds are not pushed away from food and water by the bigger ones.

Mistakes we see on the Hohoe road

• Keeping keets in a loud, bright brooder where they panic and pile up.
• Letting litter stay wet in the rainy months because the roof leaks.
• Ordering fast broilers for a compound with no feed plan.
• Leaving boxes in the hot middle of the day while the buyer arranges transport.

How to order for Hohoe

Tell us the bird, the box count and the station you want on WhatsApp at +233 24 915 1503, or place the order through the order form. The price and the delivery cost come back to you in writing, and only then do you pay, by mobile money, bank transfer or cash.

For current starting prices, see our price list. Guinea fowl buyers should read our guide to guinea fowl keets before they order. For the wider picture of the regions we serve, visit our town guide or the guide to choosing a seller.

Questions farmers ask