The poultry business in Ghana is a lucrative type of business everyone wants to get a share of. In this article, we will look at how to start a poultry farm in Ghana and how to successfully run a poultry farm in Ghana.
The poultry farm business in Ghana contributed to 14% of the country’s total gross domestic product in 2022. Over the years, we’ve seen a sharp rise in egg prices in Ghana, jumping from GH 20.00 per crate to GH 60.OO for the large size.
Due to the high demand for poultry products like eggs, many businesses have been seen venturing into the poultry farm business. Poultry farming in Ghana can be profitable when the right resource and good poultry management skills are in place.
This article will expose all you need to know before going into the poultry business in Ghana. After reading this, you will get to know all you need to succeed in the competitive poultry business in Ghana. Let’s look at what a poultry farm means.
What is a poultry farm?
A poultry farm falls under the animal production category, which emphasizes rearing popular domesticated feather animals like chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail, and geese. In Ghana, the most popular poultry farm you will come across is chicken farming and sometimes quail. A poultry farm’s end product includes eggs, meat, feathers, and organic manure.
Types of poultry
- Egg-laying poultry.
- Meat poultry.
- Dual (egg and meat) poultry.
How to Start a poultry farm in Ghana
1. Choose the type of poultry type.
In Ghana, the most popular poultry is chicken egg production and sometimes chicken meat production during the festive seasons. You need to know your market strength to choose a poultry type for your farm.
2. Poultry skills acquisition.
After selecting your type of poultry, the next essential thing to do is learn about the selected poultry type, that is, if you will run the poultry farm business yourself. You can visit a well-doing poultry farm and apply to learn. Some poultry farmers may charge you some amount of money, and others may also do it for free.
3. Get a poultry business plan.
After getting proper training in poultry farming, you need to get a poultry farm business plan. A poultry farm plan consists of a vital analysis of financial plans, market strategies, poultry housing, tools, equipment, etc.
4. Poultry farmland acquisition.
After acquiring poultry skills, you should now know how far you need to establish the poultry farm far away from residential areas due to the bad smell that mostly comes from the poultry farms. Ensure the land is not a waterlogged area, as we’ve seen cases of water flooding poultry farms when it rains heavily.
5. Establish a poultry farm structure
Poultry housing systems include deep litter (intensive systems), extensive, free-range poultry, and battery cage system. The intensive system is best for raising commercial poultry birds. I wouldn’t recommend the battery cage system because it requires a lot of technical skills and is also expensive. Aside from that, using the battery cage is also against farm animal welfare.
6. Select a source for your poultry birds.
Select a reputable hatchery source for your day-old chicks. Most farmers prefer importing day-old chicks from foreign countries, while others also prefer locally produced ones. Find here a list of the best hatcheries in Ghana.
7. Se up poultry management guide
For a successful poultry farm, you need to set up a poultry management guide for effective farming proceedings.
Poultry farm resources
Here are some free poultry farm resources that will help you achieve a successful poultry farm in Ghana.
- Poultry space requirement.
- Broiler space calculator.
- Layer birds space calculator.
- Poultry feed changing strategy.
- How to brood day-old chicks.
The poultry farm business is not for the faint of heart. It’s best to start little, learn and grow in the poultry industry like Dr. Kwabena Darko and Daniel Masaba. You can read about our backyard poultry guide if you are low on budget. Let us know what you think about this post. Thank you.
