SMALL MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES(SMSE): EASY WAY TO EDIBLE SNAIL FARMING

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Snail meals are crunchy, very sweet and quite expensive which makes snail farming a very profitable business in Nigeria and elsewhere.

To start the business, you will need to decide whether to do it indoor or outdoor.
To start the business, the farmer must have enough quantity of edible snails which he hopes to rear to maturity. You also need a good location near the home with right kind of soil and water for the snails to flourish.

The farm must be sited in a soil that is rich in humus and other decaying pant and animal materials. The soil must have sufficient lime or calcium for shell formation. The soil should be light to allow for easy penetration of air and water. Hard clay soil and sandy soil are out of it. The soil must be damp to allow the snails move freely, dig and lay eggs. Snails should be kept from the wind and heat since snails are cold blooded animals.

You can rear snails using boxes, stack of old tyres and baskets. Just ensire that the materials you use for the pen are able to keep rats and other predators away. You may also construct a hatching chamber by the side to hatch and rear the small fragile snails.

The hatching and rearing unit could be wooden boxes covered with wire mesh, drums or basket. “The floor of the hatchery or rearing unit is filled with rich organic top soil to a dept of 4-7 centimetres.

Perforate the bottom of the chamber to drain out excess water. Do not introduce newly hatched snails into smail pens to aviod cannibalism”, says Iyke O’ diwe, author of the book, Animal husbandry.
To start, the best way to obtain the snail is from the bushes since they would not have been exposed to too much sunlight which will dehydrate them.

You can also buy snail eggs from the market and cover them up with cocoyam leaves in a plastic bowl with wet sand and leave them to hatch.

It will take 21-28 days to hatch and then you can start feeding them. Snails reproduce fast and in large numbers too. “The most suitable snail species for rearing are the Archatina Fulicia Archantina and Archantina Marginata. But Archatina Archatina is the most recommended for snail farming because of its high productive capacities. It can lay up to 500 eggs at once and lays eggs three times a year. It is also easy to find,” says Iyke O’ diwe.

Snails are easy to rear because they feed on virtually anything cocoyam leaves, cassava and okra leaves, cabbage, lettuce, pawpaw as well as egg plant leaves. They also eat mangoes, banana, pawpaw, tomato and pear. Feed them well and ensure that the ground is moist all the time.

Also read about catfish farming here
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