SNAIL FARMS CONSULTANCY | Kester Amos Farms

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How to Manage a Snail Farm

SNAIL FARMING INTRODUCTION

Snail farming is the practice of rearing snails in captivity, processing and marketing of snails to satisfy man’s health, nutritional and financial need. To achieve success, the snails must be kept under captivity. While in captivity, the farmer bears the responsibility of maintaining and managing them. Snail eating is dated back to pre-historic times. Nutritionally, the snail contains 12-18% protein, 45-50mg/kg of iron and 0.05-0.8% fat. This makes the snail valuable to human diet besides its medicinal properties.

There are four edible land snails of economic importance in the West African coast. This includes the following:

Archachatina marginata (the big black snail or giant African land snail)
Achatina achatina (tiger snail)
Achatina fulica (garden snail)
Limicolaria aurora

The word snail is the name given to a mollusc that has a conical-shaped or dome like shell. A mollusc, in turn, is a soft-bodied invertebrate animal belonging to the phylum Mollusca. The phylum, which contains over 100,000 living species, is the second largest in the animal kingdom. Phylum Arthropoda (comprising insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) is the largest, containing about three-quarters of all known species of animals.

The Archachatina marginata is the most common snail in the Nigerian forest and it has more economic importance compared to the rest species of snail. It grows bigger than the rest species hence the name “big black snail”. This snail lay between 40 – 80 eggs in a single laying season with an average of 60eggs in a laying season, though this is not practically achievable most times due to some environmental factors and management principles. Due to its market value as a result of its bigger size compared to the rest species, A. marginata is the best species of snail for commercial production.

SNAIL FARM CONSULTING

BENEFITS & IMPORTANCE OF SNAIL MEAT

Snails are hermaphrodites thus every snail has the capability to lay eggs. They are also vegetarians and as a result are less expensive to rear compared to the conventional livestock. Feeding of animals takes 60-70% of the production cost in commercial animal production, but this cost is reduced to 10% of the production cost for snails as a result of the snail being a vegetarian.

Snails can be reared under two major systems of production. They are as follows:

Semi-intensive system
Intensive system.

NEED HELP TO SETUP A SNAIL FARM?

KACS can help you setup a profitable snail farming business. We offer the following services: pen construction, greenhouse snail farm construction, supply of point of lay snails, feed and other farm equipment for a profitable snail farming enterprise. We deal on different species and breeds of snails such as Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina. We decide what type of structure is best for your land based on soil texture and topography of the land. We can also help to manage your farm effectively for maximum production.

KACS is reliable and consistent in its approach towards achieving best snail farm management practices for maximum output.

IMPORTANCE OF SNAIL MEAT

The protein content which ranges between 12-18% compares favourably well with other conventional livestock.
With low sodium, fat and cholesterol content of the meat, it is useful in the treatment of anaemia, hypertension and other fat-related ailments.
It is an important source of income.
The bluish liquid (snail blood) obtained from it is used for stopping bleeding.
The snail is a quiet and odourless animal that does not constitute nuisance to neighbours when raised in captivity.
Snails are vegetarians; thus, they are less expensive to raise when compared to other conventional livestock.
Consumption of snails by pregnant women makes child-bearing easier.
The liquid that comes out of snail is used to treat eye disease.
Snail rearing is not capital intensive
The ground snail shell can be used in formulation of animal feed, it is a good source of calcium.
The snail is a hermaphrodite; thus, every snail has the ability to lay egg.
Sails will lay between 40-400eggs per snail in a single laying season (one year) depending on the breed.