Sasso day-old chicks in Ghana: the hardy free-range bird with real chicken taste

What a Sasso really is, and what it is not

A Sasso is a coloured, slower-growing meat chicken bred in France for free-range and semi-intensive farming. It sits between two extremes. At one end is the fast white broiler, which gives a heavy bird in six weeks on a heavy feed bill. At the other end is the village fowl, which costs little to keep but takes many months to reach size and lays few eggs. Sasso gives a bird that grows steadily on less demanding management, tolerates heat and rough conditions better than a broiler, and still reaches a good size.

It is not a broiler, so do not expect a 2.5 kg bird in six weeks. It is also not a layer; hens do lay, but we sell Sasso for meat. And it is not a pure local breed, so it will not behave exactly like a village chicken. Think of it as a farm bird designed to look and eat like a traditional chicken, but to grow predictably.

Many Ghanaian customers say they want chicken that tastes like chicken, with firm meat that holds up in soup and light soup, in stew and on the grill, rather than the soft meat of a quickly grown broiler. That is the market Sasso serves, and it is the reason we keep it in our range at GH₵ 13 per chick, well below the price of a Ross or Cobb at GH₵ 20.

Why farmers choose Sasso: five practical reasons

1. Lower chick cost. At GH₵ 13 a box of 50 costs GH₵ 650, compared with GH₵ 1,000 for 50 Ross 308 or Cobb 500.
2. Hardiness. Sasso copes better with the heat, rough housing and irregular conditions that many small farms have.
3. Foraging ability. After the brooding stage, birds scratch and graze, which reduces the feed bill when you have safe land to run them on.
4. A premium market. Many buyers in towns pay more for firm, free-range style chicken, for restaurants, festivals and households that avoid the soft broiler texture.
5. Flexibility. Sasso can be sold at different ages and weights, as small birds for grills or larger ones for soup and festivals.

The trade-off is time and size. A Sasso takes longer than a broiler and does not turn feed into weight as efficiently, so your cost per kilo may be higher unless you sell at a premium price or save on feed through foraging. Our post on broiler, layer or Sasso sets out the full comparison, and the broiler page shows the fast alternative.

Sasso against other dual-purpose and local-type birds

Sasso is one of several choices for a free-range or backyard farm. Here is how they sit in our range.

Choose Sasso if you want a consistent, meatier bird than the cheaper local types and have buyers who value free-range quality. Choose Kuroiler or Noiler if the lowest cost and strongest scavenging matter most; our page on Kuroiler and Noiler explains them. Choose Plymouth Rock for a very cheap heritage start, and ross or cobb for a quick six-week crop.

You can look at every breed on our breeds page, or compare the costs on the price list.

Growth timeline: from chick to market bird

Growth depends on the strain you receive, your feed and your management, so treat these ages and weights as guides. We are giving a realistic shape, not a guarantee. Weigh a sample of your own birds and set your own sale date from it.

Males grow faster and heavier than females. Some farmers sell cocks earlier at a better weight and keep pullets longer or sell them smaller. Mature cocks, once fully grown, are a different product: we sell mature cocks at GH₵ 150 each, a useful reference if you plan to hold some back for the festive market.

Brooding and feeding for a good start

Do not be fooled by hardiness. In their first three weeks Sasso chicks are as delicate as any other, and a cold or thirsty chick will never catch up. Treat the first weeks as you would for broilers: warm brooder at about 32 to 34 °C at chick level in the first week, reducing gradually, clean litter, easy water and starter feed placed where they can find it at once. Our brooder guide lists every item.

Feed in three stages

• Starter for the first four to five weeks: a complete chick starter with enough protein for frame and feather growth.
• Grower from about week 5 to 9: you can start to cut costs here, since the birds forage and eat less concentrate.
• Finisher from about week 9 to sale: a higher energy ration to build flesh and fat cover for the finish.

Foraging helps, but it is not a free lunch. Grass, insects and kitchen scraps alone will not complete the diet, particularly in the dry season when green feed disappears. Offer a balanced ration morning and evening, and let them forage between. Keep grit and clean water available at all times. A bird that is hungry will roam far, lose weight and fall to predators.

If you buy feed, compare mills and ask for complete feeds made for the stage. We can advise you free before and after delivery.

Housing and range management

The simplest successful Sasso system is a night house plus a daytime range. The house protects birds from rain, wind, thieves and predators at night; the range gives exercise, forage and sunlight by day.

• House: well ventilated, dry roof, raised or well-drained floor, litter, perches for older birds. Allow about one square metre for every 4 to 5 adult birds.
• Range: fenced, shaded and drained, with trees or shelters for midday heat. Give about 1 square metre per bird or more, and rotate paddocks if possible to let grass recover and break parasite cycles.
• Feeders and drinkers: under cover so rain does not spoil feed, and enough of them so no bird is pushed away.
• Predator control: dogs, snakes, hawks and thieves. Close the house at dusk and count birds each evening.

In the rainy season, wet ground is the main danger. Mud brings coccidiosis, worms and foot problems; make sure the range drains and the house stays dry. In harmattan, nights are cold and dust is heavy, so keep younger birds sheltered and check for breathing problems. Our chicks are vaccinated at the hatchery against coccidiosis, Marek's, Newcastle, Gumboro and infectious bronchitis, and you should follow your vet's schedule for boosters, especially for Newcastle disease on free-range farms where birds meet wild birds and neighbours' flocks.

Meat quality: why customers pay more

The meat of a slow-growing bird differs from a quickly grown one. The muscle is firmer, the bones are stronger and the flavour is deeper, because the bird has had time to develop and has exercised outdoors. Cooks notice that the meat holds its shape in stews and soups, and does not shrink or turn watery. That is the quality people mean when they ask for local chicken.

Coloured feathers and yellow skin also matter to some buyers. People see a bird that looks like the ones they grew up with, and associate it with taste and trust. If you sell live birds, buyers can choose, handle and bargain, and this experience supports a better price. We do not give you a number for the premium, because it depends on your town, the season and your buyer.

To protect quality, finish the birds properly, give clean water and feed in the last weeks, avoid stress when catching, and do not keep birds too long, since very old cocks can be tough. Catch in the cool of the day, hold off feed for a few hours before slaughter and keep dressed birds clean and cool.

Sasso economics: a worked example

Take 100 Sasso chicks at GH₵ 13: two boxes of 50, GH₵ 1,300. Suppose 95 survive and you sell them as live birds at about 12 weeks. Because Sasso sells at your local free-range price rather than ours, we use two scenarios for the sale price per bird, to show how sensitive the result is. Feed costs depend on the mill and on how much your birds forage, so we leave them as a variable.

The GH₵ 110 figure in Scenario B is what we ask for our own live broiler of about 2.5 kg, used here only as a comparison. Your Sasso price may be lower or higher. From the amount left over, subtract your feed. If each bird eats, say, 10 kg of feed over 12 weeks, the 100 birds eat 1,000 kg; at your own current feed price per kilo you can see the result at once. The less feed you buy because of foraging, the better the margin.

For comparison, a mature cock sells from us at GH₵ 150, which shows that keeping some males longer for the festive market can raise income per bird, though at the cost of more feed. The right plan depends on your buyers and your land. For the budget side of starting a farm, see starting a poultry farm in Ghana.

Markets for Sasso: who buys and when

Sasso fits several markets. Restaurants and chop bars that want local-style chicken for soups and grills, caterers for weddings and funerals, hotels with a premium menu, and ordinary households buying for Sunday meals are the main ones. In towns and cities, there are buyers who ask for free-range chicken by name, while in villages, a Sasso can replace the local fowl at the market.

Festive peaks matter. Christmas, Easter and the Eid festivals raise demand sharply for larger birds, and mature cocks are in demand. Working back from the date, a 12-week crop means you should order chicks about three months ahead, plus a margin of a couple of weeks. Book early, since local supply tightens before big holidays; see the Christmas planning post for how the calendar works.

Ways to sell

• Live birds at the farm gate or market, with buyers choosing.
• Dressed and chilled for restaurants and households, with clean packaging.
• Contracts with regular buyers, such as a chop bar taking a fixed number a week.
• Staggered batches every few weeks, so you always have birds at the right weight.

If you want many birds for a large order, ask about bulk orders. If you want to grow cockerels for another market, read about cockerel chicks.

Order Sasso chicks from Halaal Farms

Sasso is sold in boxes of 50 from GH₵ 13 per chick, so GH₵ 650 a box, with the exact price confirmed in writing before you pay. Tell us how many boxes you want, your town and the date. We send chicks on the day they hatch in ventilated boxes by trusted transport to your town station, or you can collect from the farm in Kasoa. Delivery costs are confirmed before payment, and chicks dead on arrival are replaced free in the next hatch when you count them and send a photo the same day.

Call or WhatsApp +233 24 915 1503, write to support@halaalfarms.com or use the order form. Learn how delivery works, or see all our chick types.

Questions farmers ask