Snailry

                          Courtesy: google

There are many species, the most common are: Achatina achatina, Achatina fulica, and Archachatina marginata. The most popular edible snails in West Africa are the giant snail, Achatina achatina, and the big black, Archachatina marginata.

They mostly live in jungles in tropical countries, but some may live in grassland. They primarily feed on fruits and leaves. They are easy to find and not difficult to rear. Their size ranges from 3 cm to 25 cm. They lay several batches of eggs each year. Generally, they are quite easy to care for, being able to put up with a range of conditions.

Essentially, a snail consists of two parts, the body and the shell. The body is divided into three parts – the head, the foot and the visceral mass. The head is not well demarcated and carries two pairs of retractable tentacles.

HOUSING

There are two main system of snail farming. These are: indoor and outdoor system.

Indoor system: This system involves raising snails indoors in pen located in a building. The snails are fed a mixture of fresh vegetables, concentrates and other food materials.

Outdoor system: In this system, snails are raised out – doors on pastures. The snails may or may not be fed. The farmer has little control over the performance of the snails. The snails move about feeding on natural food materials. A modification of the out-door system is one in which the snails are confined out-doors in enclosures and fed both synthetic and natural diets.

A number of factors should be considered when siting the location of the farm.

These include:

·         Soil characteristics: fertility of the soil, moisture content of the soil etc.

·         Wind speed and direction

·          Temperature and humidity

Depending on the rearing system adopted (indoor or outdoor), the materials required for building snaileries are:

·         Decay and termite resistant timber

·         Mosquito nets or nylon mesh and polythene sheets.

Depending on the scale of production, the construction could take any form.                                     

However, a (5m x 5m) outdoor pen is a suitable size for indoor rearing[6].

  Prototype hutch box

                    Array of Hutch boxes                                    

  

FEEDING

Snails are vegetarian and will accept many types of food. However, it is capable of utilizing a remarkable wide range of food items. The following food items are favored by the animal:

·         Leaves: cocoyam, kola, water leave, pawpaw, cassava, okra, eggplant, centrosema, cabbage, lettuce etc.

·         Fruits: pawpaw, mango, oil palm, tomato and cucumber

·         Tubers: cocoyam, cassava, yam, sweet potato and plantain

Appreciable calcium is needed in the diet of the snails to help build a strong calcareous exoskeleton. If the soil is not high in calcium, supplementary calcium will be needed. This can be provided by sprinkling powdered oyster or snail shells or ground limestone unto leafy vegetables.

Snails also feed on synthetic diets containing a good amount of protein, calcium and phosphorus. An example of such diet is poultry marsh. Wet poultry droppings, rotten vegetables and dead animals are all consumed by snails.

Routine management

1. Watch the snails to ensure they are eating well and give them the right type of food in adequate quantity.
2. Ensure the food and shelter plants are wet and moisten the ground regularly.
3. Avoid sudden changes in atmospheric humidity and temperature. On dry days during the snail growing season, water the ground daily. Always water in the evening at sunset. Ensure the soil is moist and not wet.
4. Examine any opening and mend to avoid pest attack
5. Check for predators: The major predators are rat, frogs, crows, domesticated birds such as ducks and turkey, lizard, millipedes etc.
6. Keep away poisonous chemicals like common salt

HARVESTING

Generally, snails that are well fed and managed would be ready for harvesting within 12 to 24 months from the date of stocking. Average weight of a well matured snail of the giant type is 200gm. Growth rate is slow and a lot patience has to be exercised in snail farming.

To read more on livestock follow this link ( https://www.agriculturenigeria.com/research/articles/diary-of-a-happy-farmer-livestock-farming )

How much does it cost to start snail farming in Nigeria?

The starting cost for snail farming in Nigeria is somewhere between N60,000 and N100,000 or more. More so, you can grow up to 1,000,000 snails about two times in a year. This could give returns of up to N5 million per year depending on how you plan it. Essentially, if you are able to grow up to 400 eggs about two to three times per year, then you can earn up to that amount.

ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

There is a flourishing international trade in snails in Europe and North America. In France the annual requirement is about 5 million kg, over 60% of which is imported; the estimated annual consumption in Italy is 306 million snails[7].

In Nigeria, snail meat has traditionally been a major ingredient in the diet of people living in the high forest belt, where demand is seen to outstrip supply.

As more people become aware of the medicinal and other importance of snail meat, snail might go into extinction with time [[8]] because the major source of snail supply to most Nigerian consumers is from the wild. In recent years, however, wild snail population have declined considerably, primarily because of the impact of such human activities as deforestation, pesticide use, slash- and – burn agriculture, spontaneous bushfires, and the collection of snails before they reach maturity.                

It is therefore of utmost important to keep up snails farming (heliculture) as a means of conserving this important resource to keep up with the demand growing daily, and serve as a vital tool to resourcing the economy of the nation.

Conclusion

In terms of cost and time, snail farming is a low-risk business. Unlike many other livestock businesses, snail farming requires very little startup and operating costs. You can even set up your snail farm at the backyard of your house to save cost on the purchase of farmland.

The best time to start up a snail farming is the rainy season especially from July to October because that is the time snails normally start to breed. You should also note that prices of snails multiply during scarcity between March and December, which is the dry season.

READ MORE:

• An Introduction to Livestock Production
• How to make Your Own Animal Feeds (For Cattles and Sheep)
• Goat Production
• Grasscutter Production

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