Day-old chicks in Upper West Region: delivered to Wa, Tumu and Lawra

How buying day-old chicks works for the Upper West

If you farm in Wa, Tumu, Lawra, Nandom, Jirapa or any village between them, the process is simple even though the distance is long. You tell us which breed you want and how many boxes, we agree a hatch date, and we send you the price in writing, including the delivery cost, before you pay anything. On the morning your chicks hatch and are sorted, vaccinated and counted into ventilated boxes of 50, they leave Kasoa with a trusted transport operator bound for your town station. You are told the departure time and collect at the station when the vehicle arrives.

We have never needed a local branch to do this properly. What matters is that the chicks are hatched fresh, dispatched on day one, and that you are standing at the station with a ready brooder. A day-old chick carries enough yolk in its belly to live for about 48 hours without feed or water, and the Kasoa to Wa road takes roughly 12 to 13 hours. That leaves a comfortable margin for stops and slow traffic.

Our minimum is one box of 50 chicks. For the Upper West, most customers start with one to four boxes. If you are planning 1,000 birds or more, we quote individually, and you can read how that works on our bulk day-old chicks page. To place a first order, use the order form or WhatsApp us directly on +233 24 915 1503.

What Upper West farmers keep, and which chicks suit it

Farming in the Upper West is mostly smallholder and mixed. A household may grow millet, sorghum, groundnuts and maize, keep a few goats, and hold a flock of local fowl and guinea fowl that scratch around the compound. Birds are savings in this part of Ghana. They pay for school fees, funerals and farming inputs, and they are sold at the market when cash is needed. That tells us what to recommend.

For most families, the best fit is a hardy, dual-purpose bird that copes with scavenging and limited feed. Our Sasso chicks, Kuroiler and Noiler all grow faster than local fowl while still foraging well. They lay more eggs than village hens and reach a sellable weight sooner, so your money turns over in months rather than years.

Guinea fowl are a natural choice here, and we hatch guinea fowl keets for northern buyers who want to build a flock. Keets are more delicate than chicks in the first three weeks, so they need warmth, dry bedding and good starter feed, but they reward you with excellent market value and low disease pressure once grown.

If you want a cheap cash bird, white cockerels at GH₵ 3 per chick are the lowest entry point we sell. They are male layer-line chicks, grown for meat on small budgets. Broilers like Ross 308 and Cobb 500 are also available, but they need strong feed management and are best for farmers with a reliable feed supply and a paying buyer.

Prices for the breeds Upper West buyers ask about most

These are starting prices in Ghana cedis per chick, updated 18 October 2026. They are "from" prices and are confirmed in writing when you order. Delivery to the Upper West is added separately, and we tell you the amount before you pay.

See the full list on our day-old chicks prices page, or read our price guide for what drives these figures.

The journey from Kasoa to Wa, hour by hour

The route from Opeikuma to Wa is about 680 km by road and takes around 12 to 13 hours. Many northern vehicles go through Kumasi and then head north, so a good part of the trip is on busy main roads. For the Upper West, the real length of the day is not the distance but the waiting before departure and the stops in between, which is why we always dispatch the very morning of the hatch.

Here is how we handle it. Chicks are taken out of the hatcher when they are fluffy and dry, sorted, vaccinated and placed into ventilated boxes of 50. The boxes are loaded onto the transport and we tell you the vehicle and expected arrival. We pack to allow airflow, because chicks do not die from cold on this trip, they die from heat and stuffy air. Boxes are never stacked in a way that blocks the ventilation holes, and we ask the driver to keep them in the shade and out of the sun on the roof or open back.

When you hear the vehicle is close, go to the station early. Open the boxes at the station if possible, count live and dead chicks, and take a quick photo. If any have died, send the photo on WhatsApp the same day and we replace them free in our next hatch.

Compare this with a southern farmer who can collect from us the same afternoon: our Kasoa page shows the short version. For the northern neighbour regions, you may also find the Northern Region page and the Upper East page useful.

Harmattan, dry-season heat and the single rainy season

The Upper West has one main rainy season, roughly from about May or June to October, followed by a long dry season. The dry season brings two very different faces: harmattan from about December to February, with dust, cool nights and dry air, and then a hot spell in March and April, when daytime temperatures can be very high. The right brooding plan depends on which of these your chicks arrive in.

In harmattan, nights can be surprisingly cold for day-old chicks, and the dry dusty air irritates their eyes and airways. Brood in a closed room, use a proper heat source (charcoal burner with a hood, electric lamp, or gas brooder), and keep the room warm enough that chicks spread out evenly rather than huddling. Hang a curtain or sack across draughty openings, but leave a gap at the top for fresh air so ammonia does not build up. Dust on the feed and drinkers is common, so cover them.

In the hot months, the problem reverses. Chicks arrive tired from a hot journey, and your main enemy is heat stress. Provide cool, shaded space, fresh water at once (with a little sugar or electrolyte if you have it), and keep the brooder heat lower than you would in the cold season. Watch where the chicks sit: if they pant or crowd away from the heater, it is too hot.

In the rains, the risk is dampness. Wet litter breeds coccidiosis and ammonia, so keep the floor dry and raise drinkers off the litter. Our brooder setup guide walks through each step.

Your arrival-day checklist at the station and at home

Because your chicks will have spent most of a day on the road, the first two hours at home decide how many you raise. Prepare everything before the vehicle is due, and do not wait to see the chicks first.

1. Warm the brooder at least two hours before arrival. Floor temperature should feel comfortably warm to your hand, with bedding that is dry and clean.
2. Have water ready, not just feed. Fill drinkers with clean water at room temperature. Add sugar or an electrolyte for the first day if you have it.
3. Count at the station. Open one box at a time, count live and dead, and photograph any dead chicks next to the box for a free replacement claim.
4. Keep boxes level and shaded on the way home. Never leave them in the sun on a motorbike carrier without cover.
5. Dip beaks in water. Gently dip the beak of each chick so it learns where to drink, then let them rest.
6. Offer starter feed on paper or trays for the first day, so chicks find it easily.
7. Check again after two hours. Chicks spread evenly, cheeping softly, means the temperature is right.

Weak chicks are normal after a long road. Separate any that cannot stand and give them warmth and water. Keep your phone near; we are glad to give free advice by WhatsApp on +233 24 915 1503 if something looks wrong.

Vaccination, batch records and finding a vet in the north

Every chick we send is vaccinated at the hatchery against Marek's disease, Newcastle disease (NCD), Gumboro (IBD), infectious bronchitis and coccidiosis. That means the earliest and most dangerous gaps are covered before the box ever leaves Kasoa. With each order you receive a batch record that tells your vet which vaccines were given and when, so boosters can be planned correctly.

In the Upper West, access to a veterinary officer can mean a trip to a district office in Wa or a larger town, so it helps to book your first contact early. Show them the batch record, and follow your vet's schedule for boosters, because the right timing depends on your local disease situation and on which breed you keep. We do not give dosing advice for specific drugs, since that is the vet's job.

Newcastle disease is the one that worries village farmers most, because local fowl may carry it and outbreaks can sweep through unvaccinated flocks. Keep new chicks separate from older local birds for at least the first weeks, wash your hands and boots between pens, and do not let neighbours' birds mix with yours. Read more on how we think about prevention in the biosecurity part of our hatchery page.

A worked example: starting 100 Sasso and 50 guinea keets

Suppose a family in Lawra wants to build a mixed flock for eggs and market sales. Here is how the starting costs add up using our current from-prices. Delivery is not included, because we confirm it separately before payment.

On top, plan for starter feed, bedding, a heat source and water equipment. Sasso are often sold live at the local market after a few months, and keets raised well can be sold as young guinea fowl or kept for breeding. Prices at your market will vary by season, so check what traders pay before you finalise the number of boxes.

If your budget is smaller, you can begin with one box of 50 Sasso at GH₵ 650, or one box of white cockerels at GH₵ 150. Our budget guide for starting a poultry farm shows how to plan feed and housing in proportion. It is better to start small, learn the brooding, and re-order in a few weeks than to lose a big flock in your first attempt.

Timing your placements around Christmas, Easter and Eid

Demand for birds rises sharply before the big celebrations. In the Upper West, Christmas, Easter and the Eid festivals are all moments when families and traders buy chickens and guinea fowl, and prices can firm up. If you want birds ready for a festival, work backwards from the date.

Sasso, Kuroiler and Noiler need longer to reach a good selling weight than fast broilers, so order them earlier, often about three months ahead for a decent-sized bird. Broilers like Ross 308 or Cobb 500 are ready much sooner, in about five to six weeks, but they require better feed and care. For the Christmas rush, we publish a longer note in our guide on when to buy chicks for Christmas.

Remember to add travel time. Because our Upper West boxes travel for most of a day, we need your order confirmed early in the week of your chosen hatch, and festival periods are our busiest. Do not wait until the last fortnight. A WhatsApp message about a month in advance is ideal, and for large festive orders, even earlier.

Serving Wa, Tumu, Lawra and the towns between

Wa is the regional capital and the natural centre for most deliveries. Chicks bound for the Wa area, Wechiau, Busa and nearby villages usually come off at the main station in Wa, where you collect them. Further north, Lawra, Nandom, Jirapa and Hamile sit along the road toward the Burkina Faso border, while Tumu lies in the Sissala area to the east. Each of these towns has its own transport stations, and we confirm with you which station and which vehicle will carry your boxes.

If you live in a village away from the main road, tell us the nearest big town, and plan how you will get from the station to your home. A motorbike with a covered box carrier is common, but avoid midday heat and open sun. If two or three farmers in the same area want chicks, ordering together can save you a trip, because the boxes can travel on the same vehicle.

Many customers in the Upper West sell mature birds at weekly markets in their district. We do not name specific markets, because they change by day and season, but a good first step is to visit your nearest one and ask traders what weight and age sells best.

How to order, step by step

Ordering from the Upper West takes only a few messages.

1. Message us. WhatsApp +233 24 915 1503 with your town, breed and number of boxes.
2. Agree the hatch date. We check our hatch calendar and confirm when your chicks come out. Imported chicks need booking 3 to 4 weeks ahead.
3. Receive the price in writing. It includes the chicks and delivery, so you know the total before you pay.
4. Pay by mobile money, bank transfer or cash. There is no online card payment.
5. Collect at your station. We tell you the vehicle and the time to expect it.

You can also start through the order form on our home page. Our delivery page explains how dispatch works across the country, and the general FAQ covers common questions. Learn more about Halaal Farms if you want to know who is behind the hatchery.

Questions farmers ask