Day-old chicks in Tema: factory-town demand and a 1.5 to 2 hour delivery

Tema is a working town, and its appetite follows the shifts

Tema is built around the port, the industrial estates and the factories that line the road between the city and the coast. Workers on shifts need cooked food at odd hours, canteens feed large numbers of staff every day, and food processing businesses keep their own steady demand for birds and eggs. Around the harbour, fish and chicken stalls serve the fishing community and the people who work the quay.

That mix of shift workers and workplaces makes Tema a town that rewards regular, predictable supply. A farm that can deliver the same birds week after week is more useful to a canteen or a stall than a farm with one large batch a year. We plan Tema batches with that rhythm in mind, starting from the sale calendar rather than the hatch date.

Tema buyers and the bird that fits

The table matches the Tema buyers we most often talk to with the bird that tends to suit them. It is a starting point, and we will adjust it once we know your volume and your sale days.

Ask us whether staggered hatch dates are possible if a canteen contract needs birds on a fixed weekly schedule. We will tell you honestly what we can plan.

Coastal heat in Tema: sea breeze, tin roofs and afternoon peaks

Tema is hot and humid, and the sea breeze helps in the mornings and evenings but often drops in the afternoon when the heat peaks. Many sheds in the area have iron or tin roofs, which hold heat well after dark. A brooder under a roof like that can run warm through the night even when the outside air has cooled.

In a Tema brooder, watch the afternoon. Check that the house has openings high enough to let hot air leave, and that the birds are not packed under a single lamp when the afternoon is at its worst. Shade the side of the house that catches the sun, and keep water cool and clean through the hottest hours. Chicks handle moderate heat better than sudden spikes, so smooth changes are the aim.

Sixty kilometres of morning traffic

The road from Kasoa to Tema is about 60 km, and the trip normally takes one and a half to two hours. The distance is short, so most of the risk is in the timing. The stretch into the city can slow down in the morning, and a box that waits in traffic with its vents closed is the thing to avoid.

Choose a dispatch slot that avoids the worst of the morning rush, and agree on a handover point that the receiver can reach without a long detour. Tell us if the box must be at a factory gate by a certain time, because that deadline changes the dispatch plan. Chicks ride best when the vehicle keeps moving and the boxes are ventilated throughout the trip.

If your receiver is based on one of the industrial plots rather than in a town centre, send us the gate name and a nearby landmark. A driver who has a clear drop-off point finds the gate quickly, and a clear point is often the difference between a quick handover and a long wait with the boxes in the van.

What to do when the box reaches Tema

Start by counting. Open the box in a shaded spot, count the chicks, and note any that are dead or weak. Send the count with a photo to +233 24 915 1503 the same day, because that is how we arrange the free replacement for dead on arrival chicks in the next hatch.

Then move the birds into a brooder that has already been lit and watered. Let them drink before they eat, and place the feed on a clean tray so each chick can reach it. Watch the flock for the first hour. Tight clusters under the lamp mean the chicks are chilled, and a flock that keeps its distance and pants means the heat is too strong. Make adjustments in small steps.

What a Tema broiler or layer start costs

Prices are quoted per chick, and one box of 50 is the smallest order we take. Every figure here is a from-price, and the exact amount is confirmed in writing before any money moves. Delivery to Tema is confirmed before payment as well.

Worked example. Take a canteen that wants 150 birds for each cycle. Three boxes of Cobb 500 come to GH₵ 3,000 for the chicks before delivery. If the same canteen also wants eggs, two boxes of Hy-Line Brown at GH₵ 2,300 would open a second flock. The two plans have different cash timings: the broilers return money within weeks, while the layers take months to pay back. Set the cash plan first, then decide how many boxes each product gets.

Imported stock, Kotoka and the Tema timetable

Some Tema buyers look for a line that is not raised locally, and we import from hatcheries in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to meet that need. Every consignment carries a veterinary health certificate, and clearance at Kotoka in Accra runs under a Ghana import permit issued by the Veterinary Services Directorate. Tema is close to Accra, so the handover can be planned around the clearance date.

Book imported chicks three to four weeks before you need them, and let us know the exact arrival window you are working towards. Imported birds cost more than local hatch stock, so they make sense when a contract or a specific line asks for them, rather than as a default. The imported day-old chicks page explains the steps from clearance to the road.

Tema's festive calendar and what each date asks for

Demand in Tema follows the national calendar: Christmas and New Year, Easter, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and Homowo for the Ga households in the nearby communities. Offices and canteens often host gatherings at these times, and food stalls near the harbour see extra orders.

Each date asks for something different. Christmas favours a fast broiler that is ready in the final week of December. Eid asks for meat in a short window, so the batch timing matters more than the breed. Easter and Homowo tend to suit a mix of eggs and birds. Tell us which of these you are aiming at, and we will shape the batch around it.

Vaccines, records and the vet visit

Every batch we sell comes with a record of what it received at the hatchery: Marek's, Newcastle, Gumboro, infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis vaccines. Keep that record with your farm papers, because it is what your vet uses to plan boosters and check the flock as the birds grow.

Plan the first vet visit before the batch arrives, not after the first problem. Agree the booster dates from the record, and follow your vet's schedule for any treatment. Tell the vet about any change in drinking, eating or droppings in the first weeks. A short note of what you saw and when is worth more than a long memory.

Mistakes Tema farms make in the first month

1. Building for a buyer who has not committed. A house full of birds with no signed buyer is a cash problem waiting to happen.
2. Ignoring the afternoon heat. A house that is fine at dawn can overheat by two in the afternoon. Check the vents at the hottest part of the day.
3. Counting on a single water source. Taps and tanks run low at the wrong moments. Keep a second supply for at least the first three weeks.

How to order for Tema

Message +233 24 915 1503 on WhatsApp with the breed, the number of boxes, the date you need the birds and the drop-off point in Tema. We reply with a written price and a delivery cost, and you pay once both are agreed. Mobile money, bank transfer and cash are all accepted. The order form works too, and the current figures are on the day-old chick price list.

Collection from our farm in Opeikuma, Kasoa is available by appointment, and a Tema buyer with their own van can often save the delivery cost that way. For 1,000 chicks or more, we quote each order by hand. For the way boxes are packed for the road, read the delivery page.

Support once the birds are in Tema

Advice costs nothing, before delivery or after it. If a bird looks off in the first days, or your feed plan needs adjusting, message us with the batch number and a photo. For the rest of the programme, follow your vet's schedule.

If you are comparing options for a Tema site, the Sasso page explains the range bird, and the layer chicks page sets out what a brown layer flock needs. The Greater Accra page covers the wider region, and the guide to buying day-old chicks gives a checklist for comparing sellers.

Questions farmers ask