Your First Order: What a Starter Pack Should Really Hold

What a starter pack really contains

People use the phrase starter pack loosely, so it helps to be clear about what you are buying from us and what you still need to find yourself. From Halaal Farms you get the chicks, packed in a box of 50, with a batch record listing the vaccinations they received at the hatchery. That is our part. We do not sell feed, drinkers, lamps or housing, so those come from your local agro-dealer or market.

Your side of the pack is the brooder, the heat source, the litter, the feeders, the drinkers and the first bags of starter feed. If you are not sure how much feed a box of 50 will eat in the first month, the poultry feed calculator gives a sensible starting figure to take to the feed shop.

Keep the list short. A new farmer who spends the first week chasing gadgets usually has less money left for what matters, which is good feed and clean water every single day.

Choosing between Noiler and Sasso for a first batch

Both breeds are dual-purpose, meaning the hens lay eggs and the birds can be sold as meat, so they suit someone who wants more than one income line. Both are local hatches, which keeps the price lower than the imported breeds. The difference lies in cost, speed and how the birds handle freedom to forage. The table sets out the numbers.

Those are starting prices. We confirm the exact figure in writing for each order, and the full list is on our day-old chicks price list. If you are still deciding between breeds, our guide to the best chicks for beginners in Ghana walks through the options side by side.

Why Noiler suits most beginners

If a new farmer asks me what to start with, Noiler is usually where I point them first. The chick is cheap, the box comes to GH₵ 550, and the bird copes with a mixed diet and a bit of free range without much fuss. Hens of this type are often in the region of 150 to 180 eggs a year under reasonable care, though feed quality, housing and the weather can shift that a good deal. Treat any figure you hear as a range, not a promise.

The trade-off is that Noiler is not a fast broiler. If your plan is to sell meat within six weeks, a broiler strain fits better. If you want eggs and meat from one flock and you can wait a little longer, Noiler earns its place. Our breed guide lays out the differences in more detail.

When Sasso is the better choice

Sasso costs GH₵ 13 a chick, or GH₵ 650 for a box of 50. That is GH₵ 100 more per box than Noiler, and the gap pays off when you plan to keep birds on free range, where Sasso's hardiness shows. It is a slower-growing dual-purpose bird, so you carry the flock longer before you sell meat, which means more feed over more weeks.

If you have a little land, some shade and the patience to let birds forage, Sasso fits well. If your space is a small backyard with a fenced run, Noiler often gives you a similar result for less money. Choose on your land and your timeline first, and on the breed name second.

How big the first order should be

The smallest order we take is one box of 50 chicks, and for a first cycle that is usually the right size. Fifty birds is enough to show you how your brooder holds heat, how fast feed disappears, and how much time the daily routine really takes. It is also small enough that a bad week costs you a manageable amount instead of your savings.

If your space is ready and you already have a buyer for meat or eggs, two boxes is a reasonable step. Do not go beyond that until you have seen the first box through its first month. Our guide to starting poultry farming covers the planning side in depth, and the first-time poultry farmer page looks at the early months from the farmer's point of view.

A practical test helps here. Ask yourself whether you could feed and check fifty birds every morning and every evening for twelve weeks without missing a day. If the answer is yes, the box is the right size. If you know your work will take you away for long stretches, a smaller first order, or a helper you trust, will serve you better than a bigger batch you cannot watch properly.

Getting the brooder ready before the box arrives

Chicks leave us on the day they hatch, so the brooder has to be ready when the box reaches you. Clean the space, let it dry, and bring the temperature up before the chicks go in. Day-old chicks need heat, and a common target is around 33 to 35 degrees at chick level for the first few days, lowered gradually as the birds feather out. A lamp, a gas brooder or a well-sealed room can all work, provided the heat is even and the chicks can move away from it.

Spread a few centimetres of dry litter over the floor, such as rice husk or wood shavings, and keep it dry. Put feeders and drinkers inside the brooder rather than outside it, so the chicks learn where food and water are from the start. Watch the birds rather than the thermometer alone. If they crowd tightly under the lamp, it is too cold. If they lie spread out and pant, it is too hot.

Feed and water in the first seven days

Use a proper starter feed in crumble form for the first few weeks. Chicks cannot manage large pellets or coarse mash, and a starter ration is formulated for their stage. Put feed out in shallow trays so every bird can reach it, and refill before the trays run low rather than letting them empty. Keep water clean and within easy reach at all times. Many farmers add a vitamin or electrolyte supplement to the water for the first few days, especially after transport, but read the label and follow it exactly.

The first week is the most fragile part of the cycle, and it is also when you learn your daily routine. Check the brooder at least twice a day, write down any dead birds, and note any that look weak or stay huddled. Those notes become the most useful record you will keep on the flock.

What the hatchery does before the chicks leave

Our chicks are vaccinated at the hatchery against Marek's disease, Newcastle disease, Gumboro (IBD), infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis. A batch record travels with your order, so you know what the birds have already received and when. That record is worth keeping safe, because a vet who sees it can work out quickly what has been covered and what is still outstanding.

Vaccination does not make a flock bullet-proof. Biosecurity, clean water, dry litter and good ventilation still decide how the birds do, and the vaccine record is one part of the plan. For a timetable of the doses you will need to give after the chicks arrive, the vaccination schedule calculator helps you map the weeks out.

If some chicks arrive dead

Occasionally a few chicks do not survive the journey. If that happens, tell us as soon as you can, with the number of birds lost, so we can record it against your order. Dead-on-arrival chicks are replaced free of charge in the next hatch. Reporting early matters, because a box that is left for a week before anyone mentions losses is much harder to put right.

Chicks can travel about 48 hours on the reserve in their yolk, so a well-run delivery should not cost you many birds. Even so, if the box arrives cold or wet, note it before you sign for it. The frequently asked questions page sets out the reporting steps in more detail.

What a realistic first cycle looks like

Plan on the first cycle being a learning exercise, not a profit machine. Broiler strains can be ready to sell in roughly five to eight weeks, depending on feed and management, and most of your cost sits in feed. Dual-purpose birds take longer, and any eggs from hens come later still. Expect some losses in the first weeks, and expect the feed bill to be the largest single line on your sheet.

A sensible target for a first box is to keep as many birds alive and healthy as you can, keep records, and finish the cycle knowing what each bird cost you. Once you know that number, you can decide whether to scale up, and by how much. Our day-old chicks cost calculator helps you set the chick line into a fuller budget before you order.

Keep a simple notebook from day one. Write the date the chicks arrived, the weight you weigh a sample of birds at each week, the feed bags opened, and the deaths you see. A notebook costs almost nothing, and at the end of the cycle it tells you more about your own farm than any general guide can. Farmers who skip this step tend to repeat the same mistakes in the next batch, because they cannot see where the money went.

How to place your first order

Send your order by WhatsApp or phone. Tell us the breed, the number of boxes, your region and the day you would like the chicks. You can pay by mobile money, bank transfer or cash, but we do not take online card payments. Delivery cost is quoted to you in writing before you pay, so there are no surprises on the day of dispatch.

We deliver to all 16 regions of Ghana, and routes, timing and packing are covered on our delivery page. If you would rather see the hatchery before you buy, farm visits are welcome by appointment. The about page explains who we are and how the hatchery runs.

Questions farmers ask