HOW TO START RAISING SNAILS FOR PROFIT.

Snail farming also referred to as heliculture is a lucrative business with high export potential.Snails are small,hardy and easy to manage.They can be raised on small or large scale using various means of housing.The snail business is easy to set up, with simple management. Snail farming is not capital intensive and the feed are readily available and cheap. Snails are not a nuisance to the environment because there is no noise from the pens, and effluents are odorless. 

 The snail is divided into 3 parts; the shell, muscular foot and the visceral mass. The shell is the most visible part which makes up 30-40% of the whole body.The shell is a means of identifying various species, and it has ornamental values.The shell increases with body size,thus its also a means of determining the age of the snails. The muscular part also referred to as foot is the edible part, and makes up 45% of the body weight.Its also the means by which the snails move. The visceral mass houses the internal organs and the reproductive organs. The snails are hermaphrodites, but they still require another snail to lay eggs. 

 Snails can be housed in various enclosures depending on size of stock; old tyres with wire netting,drums,wooden cages, cemented high/low fenced pens or natural gardens .The housing must be intact with no openings for rodents,ants and mosquitoes.The housing must provide shade,to prevent heating up the snails resulting in death. Snails feed on greens,tubers and fruits. Snails can feed on leaves of pawpaw,cassava,fruits of mango,banana,orange.They can also be fed well ground broiler ration,chick mash or layer ration.

The feed must be balanced with adequate components of carbohydrate,fish meal and calcium supplements. Water is very important in snail diet and it must be readily available. The housing of the snail must be covered with loamy soil which must be kept moist to allow the snails to burrow and lay eggs.

The snails/ hatchlings that are to be the foundation stock must be carefully chosen, they should be of good weight (300-350g),with no cracks on shell and no nodules.The snails must be well stocked to prevent cannibalism,death and poor growth. 

 A stocking density of the snails should be 40-50 hatchlings/m2, 30- 40 growers/m2 and 12-15 adults/m2. The sexual maturity of the snail is 5-6 months, upon maturity they lay eggs in presence of other snails and the eggs are buried deep in the sand to protect them. The snails a clutch of 80-100 eggs .Snails can lay up to 300 eggs in a year.

The incubation period is about 18-30 days and the hatchlings come out of soil a day after hatching.If the soil is hard,the hatchlings will not be able to come out,hence wetting of the soil is important.

 HEALTH BENEFITS OF SNAILS. 1) It has low fat and cholesterol content. 2)It is rich in iron,thus recommended for anemic patients. 3)Its a good source of protein. 4)The meat is juicy and tender suitable for young and old.