Day-old chicks in Upper East Region for Bolgatanga, Bawku and Navrongo

Four kinds of Upper East farmer, and the chicks each should buy

Upper East is the most densely settled part of the north, and its farmers are not all alike. Instead of one set of advice, here are four common situations we meet when people in the region ask for chicks. They are scenarios, not named customers, and your own case may sit between two of them.

The compound keeper

A family with a few fowls and guinea fowl that wants to replace losses and grow the flock. The best start is one box of white cockerels at GH₵ 3 each (GH₵ 150 for 50) and one of guinea fowl keets at GH₵ 17 (GH₵ 850 for 50).

The market trader

Someone in Bolgatanga or Bawku who buys and sells at markets and wants a steady supply of live birds. A mix of Sasso at GH₵ 13 and Kuroiler at GH₵ 11 gives sturdy birds that look right to local buyers.

The egg seller

A small business supplying shops, schools and households with eggs. Hy-Line Brown at GH₵ 23 or Bovans Brown at GH₵ 25.50 are standard laying birds, but they need a proper house, feed and water.

The irrigation farmer

A vegetable grower near a dam who wants chickens for manure and cash. A small broiler batch at GH₵ 20 per chick suits a short, intensive cycle, provided water is dependable.

Compare all the birds on our breeds page, and check current starting prices on the price list.

What makes Upper East different from the rest of the north

Upper East sits at the top of Ghana, on the border with Burkina Faso and close to Togo, and its character comes from three things: dense population, open dry landscape, and cross-border trade. Bolgatanga is the regional capital, Navrongo lies to the north-west near the border, and Bawku in the east is a big trading centre. Because many families live on small plots, farmland is under pressure, and poultry is attractive precisely because it needs so little land.

The climate is hot and dry for most of the year, with a single rainy season, usually from around May or June to September, and a long harmattan from about November. The region is sometimes hotter than anywhere else in Ghana, with daytime highs that can pass 40 °C in the hottest weeks before the rains. The heat shapes housing, timing and breed choice, and it is why our advice here differs from advice for the south.

The region is also famous for guinea fowl, which are kept in large numbers and sold in the markets. For many Upper East households, a flock of guinea fowl is part of the family’s savings, in the way cattle or goats are elsewhere. If you want to specialise, see our guinea fowl keets page.

Twelve to fourteen hours: how chicks cross the country

Bolgatanga is about 780 km from Opeikuma, Kasoa, and the journey takes 12 to 14 hours. Bawku and Navrongo are a few more hours or fewer depending on the route and the stops. A day-old chick can travel up to about 48 hours on its absorbed yolk, so the trip fits inside the limit, but it uses a good share of the reserve, and so the work at the receiving end is critical.

On our side we do four things. We vaccinate the chicks before dispatch. We pack them in ventilated boxes of 50. We dispatch the same day they hatch. And we hand them to trusted transport going to your town station. You then do three things on yours. You wait at the station. You count and photograph any dead chicks the same day. And you get the box home and the chicks to water within hours.

• Do not let the boxes bake. At a hot station in the afternoon, a closed box becomes dangerous within an hour.
• Do not stack luggage on the boxes. Weight cuts airflow.
• Do not delay. If the vehicle arrives at night, arrange a safe place to wait, and go home straight away in the morning.

Our delivery page describes the system in general. Ask for the expected arrival time on WhatsApp when you order.

Surviving 40 °C: housing and daily routine in the hottest weeks

The coolest design for poultry in Upper East is the simplest. A low house with a high, shaded roof, wire mesh on the sides and a floor of dry earth or packed laterite stays far more comfortable than a closed concrete box. Make the roof overhang so that sun and rain do not fall on the walls. If the roof is metal, paint it white or cover it with a layer of thatch or dry grass. A few trees nearby help.

Daily routine matters as much as the building.

• Early morning: clean drinkers, refill with cool water, feed.
• Midday: keep the birds quiet; no handling, no moving, no vaccinating. Check water.
• Late afternoon: a second feed as the heat drops, plus fresh water.
• Night: check the chicks, add warmth for young ones if the temperature drops, close predators out.

Signs of heat stress are open-beak panting, wings held away from the body, lethargy and drinking much more than usual. Move birds to shade, give cool water, and reduce crowding. Do not splash water on the birds themselves unless you know how to do it safely, because wet chicks can chill.

Chicks younger than three weeks need warmth, though in Upper East the heat source may only be needed on cool harmattan nights and early mornings. Our guide on brooder setup lists the equipment.

Harmattan in Bolgatanga and Bawku

From about November to February the dry, dusty harmattan wind brings cool nights, hazy skies and parched ground. It is also the best season for chicks in many ways: no heavy rain, less mud, and demand for birds rises toward Christmas, New Year and festive weeks. But harmattan is hard on newly hatched chicks, because of the temperature swing and the dust.

Use a brooder ring or small room for the first weeks, so you can heat a small space rather than the whole house. Block the wind at floor level but keep some ventilation near the roof. Lay litter of rice husk, sawdust or dry grass, and keep it very slightly damp to reduce dust. A lightly moistened sack hung at a window can help trap dust.

Chicks exposed to dust and cold draughts are more likely to develop respiratory problems. We vaccinate against infectious bronchitis at the hatchery, but vaccination does not replace good brooding. If you hear chicks sneezing, rattling or gasping, call your vet.

Water: dams, boreholes and the dry-season gap

Upper East has well-known irrigation dams, including those at Tono near Navrongo and Vea near Bolgatanga, and many boreholes and dugouts across the region. For farmers living near such sources, the water question is easier. For farmers further away, the dry season from about December to April is a challenge.

Before you order, work out how many litres of clean water you can bring to the flock each day, and double it for the hottest weeks. A rough rule: growing birds drink about twice as much in hot weather as in cool weather. If you have to carry water, use covered containers, keep them in shade and clean drinkers daily.

If water is uncertain, choose hardy birds. Guinea fowl, Sasso, Kuroiler and cockerels cope with irregular supply better than fast-growing broilers or high-producing layers. It is better to run a small flock all year than a large one that collapses in March.

Farmers near irrigation schemes often find a double benefit: poultry droppings, when composted, feed vegetable beds, and onion or tomato waste can be used carefully as part of a feed plan with advice from your vet or an extension officer. Do not feed anything that is rotten or has been sprayed with chemicals.

Layers for Bolgatanga and Bawku: is it worth it?

Many Upper East towns buy eggs from the south and the middle belt, which raises the price and cuts freshness. A farmer who can produce eggs locally, with good feeding and a clean house, has a built-in advantage. But layers are a serious project compared with cockerels or guinea fowl.

Hy-Line Brown is available from GH₵ 23 per chick (GH₵ 1,150 a box of 50), Hy-Line White from GH₵ 25.50 and Bovans Brown from GH₵ 25.50. A pullet takes around 18 to 20 weeks to come into lay, and costs feed every day before she earns anything. In the heat, layers also eat less and lay smaller eggs, so shade and cool water are not optional. Our own table eggs sell at GH₵ 50 per crate of 30, which gives you a sense of the price in the south, though your local price may differ.

If you want to try, start with one box and a well-built house. See our layer day-old chicks page for management. If the farm is too far from a reliable feed supply, think twice. A layer farm that runs out of feed for a week can lose months of production.

Two worked examples with real prices

Here are two starter plans for Upper East farmers, using our starting prices. Delivery is extra and is confirmed in writing before you pay.

Plan A costs less up front and starts earning sooner, because cockerels reach saleable size in a few months and guinea fowl are sellable for festive occasions. Plan B costs more, takes five months to give any eggs and requires a better house, but it can make regular cash once the hens are laying.

Neither plan is right for everyone. If you want to see the whole budget, including feed and housing, read how to start a poultry farm in Ghana on a budget, then message us on +233 24 915 1503 and we can look at your numbers together. We prefer to talk you into the right size than sell you the wrong one.

Arrival day at the Bolgatanga station

A short routine makes arrival day calm.

1. The day before: clean the house, lay dry litter, test the heater or shade, fill the water, set out feed.
2. Before the vehicle: be at the station early with a covered, ventilated carrier. Bring a torch and a phone with credit.
3. At the boxes: in shade, open each box and count. Photograph any dead chicks and send the photo on WhatsApp to +233 24 915 1503 that day.
4. On the way home: keep the boxes level and shaded. Avoid long stops.
5. At home: dip each beak in water, set feed on paper, and watch.

Chicks that have travelled 12 to 14 hours may look sleepy. Give them calm, correct temperature and clean water. Most are drinking within the hour. Check them every two hours the first night.

Health, borders and sensible biosecurity

Upper East is a border region with heavy movement of people and animals. Birds are traded across the frontier, and disease can travel with them. Good biosecurity is therefore especially useful. Keep the new flock separate from older village birds, avoid buying live birds from markets to add to your flock, and wash hands and boots at the door.

Our chicks leave vaccinated against Marek’s disease, Newcastle disease, Gumboro, infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis. You receive the batch record to give your vet or an animal health officer, who will plan boosters for your area. Follow your vet’s schedule.

Keep a simple notebook with dates, deaths, feed used and treatments. If many birds sicken suddenly, isolate them and call a vet instead of buying medicine from a roadside seller.

How to order for Upper East Region

Contact us on WhatsApp at +233 24 915 1503, or use the order form. Give us the breed, boxes, your town and your target date. We reply in writing with the price and delivery cost to your town station. You pay by mobile money, bank transfer or cash after agreeing. Minimum order is one box of 50, and orders of 1,000 or more are quoted individually.

See neighbouring pages for North East Region, Northern Region and Upper West Region. Learn more about us on the about page, and see our FAQ for common questions.

Questions farmers ask