About this module
Level 1 ended with the first egg. Level 2 is about the next 60 weeks: keeping the hens laying, keeping the eggs safe and making the flock pay.
Who it is for. People who have finished Raising Layers to Point of Lay (Level 1), or who already keep layers and can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work done under limited supervision, and entry needs National Proficiency I.
The flock. Written for a flock of about 1,000 hens, the size of a small commercial house. The same methods work for 200 or 5,000.
CTVET status. CTVET has no poultry programme. Its accredited agriculture programmes are cashew, mango and oil palm. The nearest real standard is the ILO's harmonised occupational standard for poultry farming in Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, which covers housing, managing layers, feeding, flock health, running a farm and preparing poultry products. This module is not a CTVET curriculum.
Bridge from Level 1: what you already know
- The biosecurity entry routine and the legal duty to report sudden deaths
- The vaccination schedule up to week 16
- Layer feed only from the first egg; a drop in water use is the first warning sign
- Weighing 100 birds and working out uniformity
- The light rules: never longer in growing, never shorter in lay
- Daily egg counts: total, cracked, dirty and floor eggs
- The signs of heat stress and how to cool birds
Level 1 said it did not cover the laying period, grading and selling, treating disease, mixing feed, cages or budgets. This manual covers them.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.
Unit 1 · Track the laying curve
Every breed has a laying curve. Compare your flock with it every week, and you will see trouble before it costs you.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Record hen-day lay | calculates daily hen-day % and plots it against the breed curve |
| 1.2 Calculate efficiency | works out feed per egg, egg mass and FCR |
| 1.3 Remove non-layers | identifies non-laying hens by their signs |
Range. The training flock in lay. Evidence. Weekly laying chart; efficiency sums; cull record.
Hen-day lay
Hen-day % = eggs collected today ÷ hens alive today × 100
For Hy-Line Brown, a common breed in Ghana:
- Lay reaches 50% at about 139 days, climbs fast and peaks at about 94–98% around weeks 27–28.
- It then falls slowly: about 90–96% at week 50, 84–90% at week 70 and 80–86% at week 80.
- Each hen housed lays about 352–374 eggs to week 80.
- Egg weight rises from about 55–59 g at week 26 to about 62–65 g at week 80.
Efficiency sums
- Feed per 10 eggs: about 1.23–1.28 kg for this breed.
- Feed conversion ratio (FCR): kg of feed per kg of eggs, about 2.06–2.15 from week 20 to 60.
- Feed intake: about 110–118 g per hen per day from week 28.
- Water: about 165–236 ml per hen per day.
If weekly deaths go above 0.1%, have the dead birds opened by a vet to find the cause.
Sums
- 1,000 hens alive; 912 eggs today. What is the hen-day %?
- The flock ate 115 kg of feed and laid 900 eggs. How much feed per 10 eggs?
Find the non-layers
| Sign | Laying hen | Non-layer |
|---|---|---|
| Comb | Large, red, glossy | Small, dull, shrivelled |
| Vent | Large, moist, pale | Small, dry, puckered, yellow |
| Pubic bones | Flexible, about 2 fingers apart | Stiff, 1 finger or less |
| Abdomen | Deep, 3–4 fingers | Shallow, about 2 fingers |
Yellow colour returns in order as a hen stops laying: vent, eye ring, beak, then shanks. A fully yellow beak means she has not laid for at least 4 weeks. Do the first cull 8–10 weeks after housing, and handle hens at night when they are calm.
Laying chart and cull
- Calculate hen-day % every day for two weeks. Plot it on the breed chart.
- Work out feed per 10 eggs each week.
- With your trainer, handle 20 hens at night and sort layers from non-layers.
Compare
Is your flock above or below the breed curve? Write two possible reasons.
Unit 2 · Light, feed and water in lay
A laying hen needs long days, the right feed for her age and plenty of cool water, every day.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Run a lighting programme | keeps day length rising to 16 hours, never shorter in lay |
| 2.2 Change feed phases | moves feed phases with lay rate; checks calcium and particle size |
| 2.3 Check a ration | checks or mixes a layer ration from local ingredients |
Range. Training flock; one ration check. Evidence. Light schedule; feed phase record; ration sum.
Light
Raise light step by step to 16 hours a day by about week 30, then hold it at 16 hours to the end of lay. In lay, the day must never get shorter. In hot weather, 1–2 hours of light in the middle of the night lets hens eat in the cool.
Near the equator. Takoradi has about 12 hours of daylight all year, so an open house needs electric light morning and evening to reach 16 hours. Use a timer so the hours never slip.
Feed phases
Layer feed changes as the flock ages:
- Peaking feed from the first egg until lay falls 2% below peak.
- Then later layer feeds as lay drops to about 92%, 89%, 85% and below.
- Calcium need rises with age, from about 4.0 g to 4.7 g per hen per day.
- More of the limestone should be coarse grit as hens age.
Too much fine powder lowers how much hens eat; too much coarse material lets them pick and choose.
Mixing feed from local ingredients
Feed is about 70% of the cost of producing eggs. Ghana feed millers say maize makes up 50–55% of poultry feed and soya about 30%. An example layer ration from outside Ghana uses maize 60%, wheat bran 4.5%, soybean meal 22%, fishmeal 4.5%, oyster shell 2%, bone meal 2% and premix 5%.
Use these figures for practice sums, not as a recipe. A wrong ration can stop lay. Buy a tested layer concentrate, or have a nutritionist check your mix.
Maize prices fell sharply in 2025: in Techiman a bag fell from GH¢800–1,000 to about GH¢450, and the national maize price in mid-2026 was 57% lower than a year before.
Feed for the flock
1,000 hens eat 115 g each a day. How many kilograms is that per day? How many 50 kg bags a week?
Light and feed check
- Write the light schedule for your house, with switch-on and switch-off times.
- Record the feed phase and its start date.
- Get today's price of maize, soya meal, fishmeal, wheat bran and shell grit from two sellers.
Ration sum
Using your prices, work out the cost of 100 kg of the example ration.
Unit 3 · Keep the laying flock healthy
A sick flock lays fewer eggs. A treated flock may lay eggs that must not be sold.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Keep the vaccination calendar | follows the in-lay vaccination plan with the vet |
| 3.2 Recognise disease in lay | names signs of the main diseases in lay |
| 3.3 Investigate an egg drop | checks causes step by step; observes drug withdrawal periods |
Range. Training flock; one egg-drop exercise. Evidence. Vaccination calendar; egg-drop checklist; treatment record.
Vaccination in lay
Level 1's schedule stopped at week 16. One breeder advises repeating live Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis vaccines every 6–8 weeks during lay, and vaccinating free-range hens against egg drop syndrome, because wild water birds carry it. Agree the in-lay calendar with your district vet.
In Greater Accra, all layers tested had met infectious bronchitis, and 39% had met Mycoplasma.
Bird flu
In May 2025 bird flu (H5N1) started on one farm in Akatsi South and spread to 12 of 15 farms. Risks were poor biosecurity, wild birds and rodents, shared feed mills, workers moving between farms, and maize bought across the border. An earlier outbreak in Bono led vets to destroy 24,803 birds and 973 crates of eggs. Under Ghana's law you must report suspected outbreaks.
When eggs drop: check in this order
- Water: did water use fall first?
- Feed: did intake drop? Is it the right phase?
- Light: are the hours and timer correct?
- Calcium and grit size
- Heat: how hot was the house?
- Deaths: have dead birds opened
- Blood tests every 10 weeks with your vet
Drugs and eggs
- In a Dormaa study, 61% of farmers did not know what a withdrawal period is, 24% of farms had antibiotic residues in eggs, and almost all of those farms sold eggs during treatment.
- Some drugs must never be used in hens laying eggs for people. Enrofloxacin is one. Toltrazuril, a coccidiosis drug, must not be used in layers or within 6 weeks before lay.
Egg withdrawal rules.
- Treat only on a vet's prescription.
- Read the egg withdrawal period on every label.
- If the label says "not for birds producing eggs for human consumption", never use it in layers.
- Do not sell eggs during treatment or before the withdrawal ends.
- Record drug, dose, start date, end date and the date eggs can be sold again.
Egg-drop drill
- Your trainer gives you a flock record with a sudden egg drop.
- Work through the checklist and write the likely cause.
- Fill in a treatment record with a withdrawal end date.
Vet visit
Ask your district vet for the in-lay vaccination calendar they advise.
Unit 4 · Housing, heat and welfare
The house decides how hot the hens are, how clean the eggs are, and how much you must invest.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Compare housing systems | compares cage, deep litter and free range on cost and care |
| 4.2 Manage heat in lay | acts on heat stress |
| 4.3 Explain moulting | explains when moulting may be used |
Range. Training house. Evidence. Housing comparison; heat action record.
Cage or deep litter?
A 2026 Ghana study of 5,000-hen farms found that cages cost more to set up (GH¢1.72 million against GH¢1.45 million) but earned much more over five years, with 90% production efficiency against 75%. Deep litter stopped paying when feed rose 10%.
One study, big farms. Cages need capital that small farmers often lack, and welfare matters too. Free-range hens face more egg drop syndrome from wild birds. Choose the system that fits your money and your market.
Heat in lay
- Above 33 °C, deaths and losses rise sharply.
- Panting makes thin shells; extra calcium does not fix this.
- Use fans; do not add misting when the air is already humid.
- Keep drinking water below 25 °C.
- Low protein intake is the main reason lay falls in heat.
Moulting
Some breeds may be moulted (rested) to renew lay and shell quality, using the breeder's non-fasting method. Never starve hens to force a moult.
Heat watch
- Record house temperature at 6 am, 12 noon and 3 pm for a week.
- On the hottest day, list the actions taken.
- Write a one-page comparison of cage and deep litter for a 1,000-hen farm.
Visit a farm
Visit a farm with a different housing system. Note three differences.
Unit 5 · Collect, grade, store and pack eggs
Clean, graded, well-stored eggs fetch a better price and keep customers.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Collect eggs | collects at set times and reduces floor eggs |
| 5.2 Grade eggs | grades by shell condition and size |
| 5.3 Store and pack | stores and packs eggs correctly |
Range. Daily collection for two weeks. Evidence. Collection record; graded trays.
Collect
Collect eggs at set times, several times a day if needed, and pick up floor eggs quickly.
Grade
Ghana's egg standards cover defects, size and weight, storage, labelling and packing. Grades AA and A need clean shells; Grade B may have small stains.
| Size | Egg weight |
|---|---|
| Small | 43–53 g |
| Medium | 53–63 g |
| Large | 63–73 g |
| Very large | over 73 g |
Store and pack
- Pack eggs pointed end down in trays, in a ventilated store, away from chemicals.
- Cool storage is best: about 7–13 °C. At about 24 °C eggs can lose a grade a day.
- If you wash eggs, use clean warm water, warmer than the egg.
- Never sell cracked or dirty eggs as Grade A.
Grade a day's eggs
- Collect at the set times and record each collection.
- Weigh 30 eggs and sort them by size.
- Grade by shell condition and pack correctly.
Market check
Visit three sellers. Note the price of a crate by size and grade.
Unit 6 · Costs, records and profit per hen
Feed is most of your cost. Know what each crate costs you before you agree a price.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Keep a ledger | records every cost and income |
| 6.2 Cost a crate | calculates cost per crate and profit per hen housed |
| 6.3 Find break-even | finds the lowest egg price that covers costs |
Range. The training flock's records for one month. Evidence. Ledger; cost-per-crate sheet.
What eats your profit
A study of 300 Ghanaian layer farms found they reached only about 54% of the profit possible; feed and labour prices cut profit most, followed by medicine, vaccines and day-old chick costs.
Cost per crate
Cost per crate = total costs for the month ÷ crates produced in the month Break-even price = cost per crate. Sell below it and you lose money.
Worked example
A flock lays 30 crates a day. Monthly costs: feed GH¢36,000, labour GH¢3,000, vet and vaccines GH¢1,500, light and water GH¢800, trays and transport GH¢1,200. What is the cost per crate (30-day month)? Is a farm-gate price of GH¢45 profitable?
Ledger
- Record every cost and sale for the flock for one month.
- Calculate cost per crate and break-even price.
- Calculate profit per hen housed for the month.
Feed share
What share of your monthly cost was feed?
Unit 7 · Sell eggs, spent hens and manure
The egg market is crowded. The farmers who survive have steady buyers, a good name and more than one income.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Plan egg sales | identifies retail, institutional and school buyers |
| 7.2 Plan by-product income | plans spent-hen and manure sales |
| 7.3 Market and finance | markets the farm and knows finance options |
Range. Local market; the training flock. Evidence. Sales plan; buyer list; marketing plan.
The egg market now
Egg prices have fallen in a glut. Sources give different causes, and all may be true:
- In Bono in November 2025, a crate fell from GH¢58 to GH¢45–50 at the farm gate as cheaper Ivorian eggs came in.
- Eggs are being smuggled from Côte d'Ivoire into Western North.
- In Greater Accra about 38,000 crates were unsold, and some farms closed.
- Burkina Faso stopped buying Ghanaian eggs over bird flu concerns; the ban was later lifted.
- Farm-gate prices of about GH¢45 while some markets still charged GH¢70–75.
- The government says cheaper feed brought in many new farmers.
Farm-gate and retail are different. Never compare your farm-gate price with a shop price. The gap is your chance if you can sell direct.
Buyers
- Schools: the Education Ministry was asked to buy surplus eggs for school feeding, and farmers are asking for an egg-a-day school policy.
- Supermarkets: branded, pre-packed eggs may need FDA product registration. Confirm with FDA Ghana.
- Hotels, bakeries, chop bars and retailers: steady weekly orders.
- Feed Ghana's poultry plan aims to raise self-sufficiency from 12% to 75% by 2028: more competition, but also more buyers and suppliers.
Spent hens and manure
- Spent layers are most of the chicken meat produced in Ghana. Plan their sale before the end of lay; the spent-hen market shrank in the 2025 glut.
- Poultry manure sells as fertiliser. By 2022 a 25 kg bag sold for about GH¢10 as fertiliser prices rose.
Location settings that give good returns
- Close to Takoradi and Sekondi buyers: shorter trips, fewer broken eggs
- A road that stays open in the rains
- Mains electricity for lights and fans
- A reliable borehole
- Away from other poultry farms, water birds and markets (bird flu risk)
- Near vegetable and oil palm farms that buy manure
Business ideas and ingenuity
- Pack eggs in branded half-trays for shops
- Supply a school or hospital kitchen on contract
- Sell boiled eggs or egg sandwiches through a vendor partner
- Bag and sell composted manure to vegetable growers
- Sell spent hens live, or dressed through a licensed slaughter point, at festivals
- Supply point-of-lay pullets (Level 1 skills) to new farmers
Market yourself
- A farm name and a stamp or label on every tray.
- WhatsApp Business with weekly prices and delivery days.
- Deliver on time and replace any bad egg. Trust brings repeat orders.
- Join the local poultry farmers' association for group buying and selling.
Finance
- ADB has a poultry loan package at 10% interest backed by GIRSAL.
- The 24-Hour Economy plan has raised over GH¢1 billion from banks for poultry.
Accessibility
The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations has called for persons with disabilities to be included in the Nkoko Nkitinkiti poultry programme, naming capital and access to government programmes as barriers. Practical changes: cage rows at seated height, ramps instead of steps, large-print or app-based egg tally sheets, and working in pairs for catching.
Sales plan
- List five possible buyers near you with their likely weekly orders.
- Plan the spent-hen sale date and buyer.
- Price a bag of manure.
- Make a WhatsApp Business catalogue entry for your eggs.
Talk to a buyer
Visit one school, hotel or shop. Ask what they need, how often and how they pay.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Break-even price | The price that just covers costs |
| Egg mass | Total weight of eggs laid |
| FCR | Feed conversion ratio: kg feed per kg eggs |
| Hen-day % | Eggs today ÷ hens alive today × 100 |
| Moult | A rest period when hens stop laying and renew feathers |
| Non-layer | A hen that has stopped laying |
| Spent hen | A hen sold at the end of lay |
| Withdrawal period | Days after a drug before eggs or meat can be sold |
Logbook
- Unit 1: daily hen-day %, weekly chart, cull record
- Unit 2: light schedule; feed phase record; ingredient prices
- Unit 3: vaccination calendar; treatment records with withdrawal dates
- Unit 4: temperature record; heat actions
- Unit 5: collection and grading records
- Unit 6: ledger; cost per crate
- Unit 7: buyer list; sales plan
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- How do you calculate hen-day %?
- At what week does Hy-Line Brown usually peak?
- Name three signs of a non-layer.
- What is the maximum light in lay, and what must never happen?
- Why does extra calcium not fix thin shells in heat?
- Name four checks when eggs drop.
- What must you do if a label says "not for birds producing eggs for human consumption"?
- How should eggs be packed?
- How do you find cost per crate?
- Name three income sources other than eggs.
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: your Level 1 manual; your breed's management guide; the Hub's Money Skills manual.
What this module does not cover: breeder flocks and hatcheries, broilers, building design, and feed milling at scale.
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.