Poultry Farm Management: 7 WhatsApp Messages
Poultry farm management software must answer three questions each morning: how many birds are alive in each house; how many kilos of feed the batch ate per kilo of live weight; and what each kilo has cost by sale day. The Executive Regulation of the Agriculture Law also requires a record of every batch and its treatments. Seven WhatsApp messages to Fahim from the supervisor, worker or owner, each quoting the house number, cover all of it without a new screen. It suits a broiler or layer farm of one or more houses, run today from a notebook and the supervisor's phone.
The rule: every bird in a batch, every batch in a house
Poultry is recorded by batch, not bird: chicks placed in one house on one day that leave together. Six fields per batch:
- House number and placement date.
- Chicks received, hatchery and price per chick.
- Type: broiler or layer.
- Daily deaths and live balance.
- Feed issued: starter, grower or finisher.
- Vaccines and treatments, each with its withdrawal period.
What the Agriculture Law regulation requires
Umm Al-Qura published the regulation on 2 September 2022; it counts chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons and quail as poultry. Four provisions touch your records:
- Article 134: record each production batch, its tests, the veterinary products used, quantity and method, treatment dates and withdrawal period; and issue a written certificate for each batch of products.
- Article 133: veterinary products only under a licensed vet, who sets dose, duration and withdrawal period; treated birds are not marketed before it ends.
- Article 149: report suspected infectious disease or unusual deaths to the Ministry within 24 hours at most.
- Article 74: an incinerator meeting environmental specifications for dead animals.
The June 2026 amendment changed other articles, not these. Fahim is not linked to Ministry systems: you file reports there, and it keeps their dates. A reading, not legal advice. Text: https://www.uqn.gov.sa/details?p=20060
Seven messages from chick placement to batch close
1. Chick placement
The supervisor photographs the hatchery invoice: "House 3, new batch, 20,000 broiler chicks today." Fahim extracts count and price, opens the batch and counts its age in days.
2. Daily deaths
Each evening a worker sends one line, typed or by voice: "House 3, day 12, 18 dead, incinerated." The live balance and death rate update. Ask for an alert when a day's deaths pass a limit agreed with your vet, so you can decide on reporting in time.
3. Feed
The supervisor sends the feed mill invoice with each load, raising stock by type, then logs what each house received, so each batch carries its own feed: inventory tracking from WhatsApp.
4. Vaccines and treatment
After the vet's visit, the supervisor sends the prescription photo and one line: "House 3, medicine in water, days 18 to 22, withdrawal 7 days." The batch record holds what Article 134 lists. Moeen, Fahim's personal assistant, reminds you of the next dose; ask for an alert that blocks a sale before withdrawal ends.
5. Weekly weight
A worker weighs a sample: "House 3, day 21, 50 birds, average 950 g." You see each batch's growth curve against past batches and breed standards.
6. Catching and sale
On sale day: "House 3, 19,200 birds loaded for slaughter, 40,320 kg live, SAR 6 per kg, 30 days credit." The tax invoice is issued from WhatsApp and the amount goes to the buyer's balance. The treatment record is ready for the batch certificate.
7. Batch close
Ask: "What did a kilo cost in house 3?" A hypothetical example, not market prices: chicks SAR 40,000; 64,500 kg of feed, 129,000; vaccines and medicine 6,000; litter, gas and power 12,000; wage share 9,000. Total SAR 196,000 over 40,320 kg: SAR 4.86 per kg. 800 birds died (4%), and each kilo of live weight took 1.6 kg of feed. At SAR 6 the margin is SAR 45,920 before rent and depreciation.
If you run layers
Add one daily line: "House 1, 21,400 eggs, 300 cracked," and you see each house's laying rate. At cycle end, Article 128 requires a written report on how the hens were disposed of, with number, type and date; spent hens go only to a Ministry-approved slaughterhouse, and under Article 130 each truck carries a copy of the transport approval. Your messages hold the numbers.
Notebook and phone vs structured messages
| Notebook and phone | Messages |
|---|---|
| Deaths totalled at cycle end | Live balance every evening |
| Feed with no destination | Feed charged to each batch |
| Treatment on the vet's paper | Article 134 record ready |
| Profit is a guess | Cost per kg per batch |
Four numbers after the first batch
- Live birds per house and death rate per batch.
- Kilos of feed per kilo of live weight.
- Cost per kg and margin per batch.
- Open buyer balances and due dates.
Moeen's morning summary: yesterday's deaths, withdrawal end dates, feed left, batches near sale.
How to start this week
- Send current batches as an Excel file: house, placement date, count, deaths to date.
- Two rules: a daily deaths line for every house; no treatment without the prescription photo and withdrawal period.
- Set roles: workers send deaths, feed and weights but never see costs, profit or buyer balances.
The takeaway: a poultry farm runs by the batch. Seven messages log chicks, deaths, feed, treatment, weight and sale, giving live birds, feed efficiency, cost per kg and the treatment record the regulation requires.