The Suitable Snail Species For Snail Farming

1). Achatina Fulica:

This African land snail is largely located in East Africa, especially Kenya and Tanzania, and has the scientific name Achatina Fulica. They are famously know as the “giant African snail” or the “giant African land snail”.

Although they’re largely found in East Africa, these snails are can also be found in the US, China, Taiwan, and India. The adult Achatina Fulica snail is usually around 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in height and 20 centimetres (7.9 in) or more in length.

The shells of these snails are conical in shape, and also about twice as high as it is broad. The colours of their shells highly vary because they depend largely on their diet, but brown is the most common colour of these African land snails.

The major down side of the Achatina Fulica is they’re a large cause of pest issues around the world.

2). Achatina Achatina: 

Also know as the “African tiger land snail” or the “African giant snail”, these species of snails are air-breathing land snails. They are said to be largely located in West Africa, between 160 to 300 kilometres off the coast of countries as, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Benin, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, and Togo.

The shells of the Achatina Achatina can grow to a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in) with a diameter of 9 centimetres (3.5 in). Some have been observed in the wild to grow to 30×15 cm. These measurements makes them the largest extant species of land snails.

The Achatina Achatina, is a great source of protein, are hermaphrodites just like almost all pulmonate gastropods, and have both male and female organs. This makes each snail able to lay up to 1,200 eggs in a year.

The downside of the Achatina Achatina is they can be serious pests, and cause adverse effects to agriculture, natural ecosystems, commerce, and human health.

3). Archachatina Marginata: 

The Archachatina Marginata are giant West African snails or Banana Rasp snails. They are air breathing tropical land snails, can grow up to 20 cm long, and have the ability to live for up to 10 years.

This species of land snails are majorly found in Nigeria, through Cameroon, the republic of Congo, the Caribbean, and Martinique.

These snails are nocturnal forest dwellers, and dislike overcrowding. If they get too crowded in a particular space, they begin to spread out.

Their mating method varies per location. Because they do not have both sexual organs, they have to mate with the opposite sex to reproduce. This mating method makes reproduction and population increase very slow for the Archachatina Marginata, unlike the Achatina Achatina.

These land snails eat plants at a ferocious state, and so, this behaviour leads to the destruction of crops and damages to homes. This is one of the strongest reasons the Archachatina Marginata are banned in the United States.

 

What And How Do Snails Feed? 

Land snails generally eat plants, fungi, and algae. A great way to handle their diet is to provide them with plant matter and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, and a host of other vegetable meals.

They can also feed on fruits such as mangoes, tomatoes, paw paw, cucumber, banana, and more.

 

How To Setup Your Snail Farm

1). Location And Environment For The Snail Farm:

Because of the high dehydration level of snails, the farm must be located in a less windy environment else, the moisture-loss rate of the snails would be high, which would subsequently lead to a highly dehydrated state for the animal. Keeping them away from windy environments would prevent them from losing water quickly.

The perfect environment for your snail farm would be an area with adequate trees (vegetation), usually located downhill. Planting crops like mangoes, bananas, and a few others around the farm would be wise, to reduce the impact of any winds skimming through the snail farm on the snails.

2). The Right Soil Type For Your Snails: 

Not all soil types are suitable for rearing land snails. Since the natural habitat of land snails is generally the soil, it’s important that the soil they’re raised on, has all the chemical substances and components that make it suitable for the snails to survive and fully mature.

An ideal soil that is suitable for rearing snails must be non-acidic, not water-logged, must be balanced, and must not be too dry. In the selection of the soil type, sandy and clayey soil must be totally avoided for your snail farm. What should be used is loamy soil that doesn’t hold too much water.

3). Sourcing For Snails: 

When sourcing snails for your snail farm, the ideal location to get them are in the forests, bushes, or any vegetative environment that is partially dry and wet. This location is far too important. Avoid getting them from the markets because, a large exposure to sunlight would leave them highly dehydrated. Snails drink a lot of water, and an absence of adequate water supply can make them easily dehydrated, which could subsequently lead to infertility in the snails.

While getting the snails from the bushes may be the best option, many individuals will not be able to pull through with this. What then you can do is to buy the land snail eggs from a market, then put coco-yam leaves in a plastic bowl with wet sand in it, and leave them to hatch. Within 21 to 28 days, the eggs would have fully hatched, and you’d have a lot of fertile snails ready for your snail farm.

If you’re going to get them from the bushes, the best way to do this is to clear a small expanse of land during a rainy season, then dress it up with fruits, vegetables, and other snail foods that snails generally find enticing and can’t resist, in the evening, everyday between 4pm to 6pm. Later in the night before 9pm, you can head back to the spot and pick up the snails gathered there that are great for rearing.

Before purchasing any snail eggs, it’s important you’re very familiar with the types of snails suitable for rearing as stated above, and should know what it would take to raise them.

4). The Snailery (The Snail House): 

Depending on the size of your proposed snail farm, your snailery could be covered with a box, for a patch of fence-protected ground

If your snail farm is going to have a lot snails, you can make a concrete pen with soil, or dig a trench of about 10 inches deep, then cover it with wires or a screen to prevent your snails from getting out. This move would keep them from becoming pests when their population begins to explode because of their extremely high reproduction rate.

Ensure the snailery is a dark and cool place. This is important because snails prefer those environments. Also make sure the humidity levels of the snailery doesn’t fall to levels dangerous to snails. One great way to regulate the temperature of the snailery is to use wet leaves or clothes.

5). Harvesting Your Snails: 

Your snails can be harvested into containers, bowls, boxes, baskets, or through other means. It’s important that during the harvest process they are handled with care, because of their high fragility. Because of this, it’s important that every container the snails are harvested into shouldn’t exceed 10 kilograms, so they can be easily convened.

Also, your snails should be harvested only when they’ve reached full maturity, so you can sell them for a good price and make high returns from your investment. Check the brim of their shells to know if they are well mature. The brim should be harder and generally thicker than every other parts of the shells if they’ve matured enough.

Lastly, keep a good portion of the snails for subsequent reproduction. Selling off everything in the market is a no-brainer for any farmer.

 

A Short Feasibility Study On Snail Farming

A snail is usually sold at 50 Naira ($0.4) in a market. Depending on the inflation rate of various countries and location, the price of the snails could be affected. Since they’re usually harvested in thousands (for medium sized farms), selling 200,000 snails could result in a revenue of 10 million Naira ($50,000). Though this value may be for large producers, smaller producers can also sell mature snails at this price by targeting fair sale quantities.

 

How To Sell Your Farm Land Snails

With a vast market for agricultural products in Nigeria, Kenya, and many other countries around the world, edible snails are equally not left out. You can sell your snails at hotels, restaurants, to market women, large supermarkets that sell agro products, and as exports to other countries. Selling your snails at wholesale prices would increase your chances of closing faster sales

The Suitable Snail Species For Snail Farming

1). Achatina Fulica:

This African land snail is largely located in East Africa, especially Kenya and Tanzania, and has the scientific name Achatina Fulica. They are famously know as the “giant African snail” or the “giant African land snail”.

Although they’re largely found in East Africa, these snails are can also be found in the US, China, Taiwan, and India. The adult Achatina Fulica snail is usually around 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in height and 20 centimetres (7.9 in) or more in length.

The shells of these snails are conical in shape, and also about twice as high as it is broad. The colours of their shells highly vary because they depend largely on their diet, but brown is the most common colour of these African land snails.

The major down side of the Achatina Fulica is they’re a large cause of pest issues around the world.

2). Achatina Achatina: 

Also know as the “African tiger land snail” or the “African giant snail”, these species of snails are air-breathing land snails. They are said to be largely located in West Africa, between 160 to 300 kilometres off the coast of countries as, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Benin, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, and Togo.

The shells of the Achatina Achatina can grow to a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in) with a diameter of 9 centimetres (3.5 in). Some have been observed in the wild to grow to 30×15 cm. These measurements makes them the largest extant species of land snails.

The Achatina Achatina, is a great source of protein, are hermaphrodites just like almost all pulmonate gastropods, and have both male and female organs. This makes each snail able to lay up to 1,200 eggs in a year.

The downside of the Achatina Achatina is they can be serious pests, and cause adverse effects to agriculture, natural ecosystems, commerce, and human health.

3). Archachatina Marginata: 

The Archachatina Marginata are giant West African snails or Banana Rasp snails. They are air breathing tropical land snails, can grow up to 20 cm long, and have the ability to live for up to 10 years.

This species of land snails are majorly found in Nigeria, through Cameroon, the republic of Congo, the Caribbean, and Martinique.

These snails are nocturnal forest dwellers, and dislike overcrowding. If they get too crowded in a particular space, they begin to spread out.

Their mating method varies per location. Because they do not have both sexual organs, they have to mate with the opposite sex to reproduce. This mating method makes reproduction and population increase very slow for the Archachatina Marginata, unlike the Achatina Achatina.

These land snails eat plants at a ferocious state, and so, this behaviour leads to the destruction of crops and damages to homes. This is one of the strongest reasons the Archachatina Marginata are banned in the United States.

 

What And How Do Snails Feed? 

Land snails generally eat plants, fungi, and algae. A great way to handle their diet is to provide them with plant matter and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, and a host of other vegetable meals.

They can also feed on fruits such as mangoes, tomatoes, paw paw, cucumber, banana, and more.

 

How To Setup Your Snail Farm

1). Location And Environment For The Snail Farm:

Because of the high dehydration level of snails, the farm must be located in a less windy environment else, the moisture-loss rate of the snails would be high, which would subsequently lead to a highly dehydrated state for the animal. Keeping them away from windy environments would prevent them from losing water quickly.

The perfect environment for your snail farm would be an area with adequate trees (vegetation), usually located downhill. Planting crops like mangoes, bananas, and a few others around the farm would be wise, to reduce the impact of any winds skimming through the snail farm on the snails.

2). The Right Soil Type For Your Snails: 

Not all soil types are suitable for rearing land snails. Since the natural habitat of land snails is generally the soil, it’s important that the soil they’re raised on, has all the chemical substances and components that make it suitable for the snails to survive and fully mature.

An ideal soil that is suitable for rearing snails must be non-acidic, not water-logged, must be balanced, and must not be too dry. In the selection of the soil type, sandy and clayey soil must be totally avoided for your snail farm. What should be used is loamy soil that doesn’t hold too much water.

3). Sourcing For Snails: 

When sourcing snails for your snail farm, the ideal location to get them are in the forests, bushes, or any vegetative environment that is partially dry and wet. This location is far too important. Avoid getting them from the markets because, a large exposure to sunlight would leave them highly dehydrated. Snails drink a lot of water, and an absence of adequate water supply can make them easily dehydrated, which could subsequently lead to infertility in the snails.

While getting the snails from the bushes may be the best option, many individuals will not be able to pull through with this. What then you can do is to buy the land snail eggs from a market, then put coco-yam leaves in a plastic bowl with wet sand in it, and leave them to hatch. Within 21 to 28 days, the eggs would have fully hatched, and you’d have a lot of fertile snails ready for your snail farm.

If you’re going to get them from the bushes, the best way to do this is to clear a small expanse of land during a rainy season, then dress it up with fruits, vegetables, and other snail foods that snails generally find enticing and can’t resist, in the evening, everyday between 4pm to 6pm. Later in the night before 9pm, you can head back to the spot and pick up the snails gathered there that are great for rearing.

Before purchasing any snail eggs, it’s important you’re very familiar with the types of snails suitable for rearing as stated above, and should know what it would take to raise them.

4). The Snailery (The Snail House): 

Depending on the size of your proposed snail farm, your snailery could be covered with a box, for a patch of fence-protected ground

If your snail farm is going to have a lot snails, you can make a concrete pen with soil, or dig a trench of about 10 inches deep, then cover it with wires or a screen to prevent your snails from getting out. This move would keep them from becoming pests when their population begins to explode because of their extremely high reproduction rate.

Ensure the snailery is a dark and cool place. This is important because snails prefer those environments. Also make sure the humidity levels of the snailery doesn’t fall to levels dangerous to snails. One great way to regulate the temperature of the snailery is to use wet leaves or clothes.

5). Harvesting Your Snails: 

Your snails can be harvested into containers, bowls, boxes, baskets, or through other means. It’s important that during the harvest process they are handled with care, because of their high fragility. Because of this, it’s important that every container the snails are harvested into shouldn’t exceed 10 kilograms, so they can be easily convened.

Also, your snails should be harvested only when they’ve reached full maturity, so you can sell them for a good price and make high returns from your investment. Check the brim of their shells to know if they are well mature. The brim should be harder and generally thicker than every other parts of the shells if they’ve matured enough.

Lastly, keep a good portion of the snails for subsequent reproduction. Selling off everything in the market is a no-brainer for any farmer.

 

A Short Feasibility Study On Snail Farming

A snail is usually sold at 50 Naira ($0.4) in a market. Depending on the inflation rate of various countries and location, the price of the snails could be affected. Since they’re usually harvested in thousands (for medium sized farms), selling 200,000 snails could result in a revenue of 10 million Naira ($50,000). Though this value may be for large producers, smaller producers can also sell mature snails at this price by targeting fair sale quantities.

 

How To Sell Your Farm Land Snails

With a vast market for agricultural products in Nigeria, Kenya, and many other countries around the world, edible snails are equally not left out. You can sell your snails at hotels, restaurants, to market women, large supermarkets that sell agro products, and as exports to other countries. Selling your snails at wholesale prices would increase your chances of closing faster sales

 

Challenges Of Snail Farming

The major challenge of raising snails is that uncontrolled rearing can lead to a pest break-out. Snails can be invasive and become threatening to crops. They consume over 500 types of crops, and can single-handedly destroy a farm’s products.

While raising them, make sure their enclosures are well secured to keep them from escaping, and to protect them from predators like birds and other land animals.

 

Conclusion

While there are several other profitable agribusiness ideas like poultry farming, fish farming, grasscutter farming, and more, snail farming stands as another profitable agribusiness to invest in, at the right scale.

 

Challenges Of Snail Farming

The major challenge of raising snails is that uncontrolled rearing can lead to a pest break-out. Snails can be invasive and become threatening to crops. They consume over 500 types of crops, and can single-handedly destroy a farm’s products.

While raising them, make sure their enclosures are well secured to keep them from escaping, and to protect them from predators like birds and other land animals.

 

Conclusion

While there are several other profitable agribusiness ideas like poultry farming, fish farming, grasscutter farming, and more, snail farming stands as another profitable agribusiness to invest in, at the right scale.

If a Man Does These 12 Things, His Love for You Will Never End

If a Man Does These 12 Things, His Love for You Will Never End

Relationships are definitely not as simple as they look in Hollywood movies. An amorous look, butterflies in the stomach, a pure heart — it’s more about amorousness than love. Everyone wants to find a person whose feelings will last across time.

Today Bright Side describes situations that characterize not just an enamored guy but a man who is truly in love.

12. He keeps promises.

11. He respects your family and friends.

10. He doesn’t get jealous but instead feels proud to share his life with such a beautiful woman.

9. He prefers spending time with you rather than constantly hanging out with friends.

8. He’ll stay and listen to you if you’re really upset.

7. He asks you before deciding on next steps.

6. He accepts all your little flaws.

5. He prefers to make plans for the future together.

4. He takes care of your health.

3. He supports you in whatever you want to do if it makes you happy.

2. He makes your wishes come true.

1. He remembers every little thing you say.

N-Power 2017 List Of Successful Shortlisted Applicants | N-Power Physical Verification Guide

N-Power 2017 List Of Successful Shortlisted Applicants | N-Power Physical Verification Guide

topgist.com.ng

Aug 12, 2017 3:57 PM

The N-Power 2017 List Of Successful Shortlisted Applicants will be release in the month of September 2017. N-power next stage after online assessment test is shortlisting of the successful applicants, followed by deployment to state/local government of residence. After deployment comes the verification. So what is N-power verification and where will it take place?

You have done your N-power test and you are looking forward to the list. While wishing you the best, you should get clue to what comes after that.

According to N-pwer support team, here are the processes for this year N-power engagement:
1.    Application
2.    BVN Validation
3.    Test
4.    Device Selection
5.    Pre-selection
6.    Physical verification
7.    Selection
8.    Deployment

By now, you had written your test and chosen your device, hence it’s time to proceed to Pre-selection and others.

It is not clear yet, what N-power intends to do with pre-selection but I assume this stage may not be something significant that, N-power may skip it or join it with other stages after. This stage is more or less short-listing stage.

From experience we know about physical verification, selection and deployment. And below is what you should know about the two stages ahead.

2017 N-Power Physical Verification Guide

After short-listing comes verification. And this is the physical checking of the credentials of the shortlisted applicants. The N-power team under each state will check all your academic credentials for the category you applied for. This doesn’t mean your course has to match with catgory you applied for. It means you must be a graduate (NCE, ND, HND, Bsc, MA, LLB, NABTEB) to take part and you must credential backing for what you claimed.

2017 N-Power Deployment Guide

N-power will after the verification, instruct all successful candidates to visit their state of residence and the claimed local government for placement. These applicants will report and be placed to sectors they applied for i.e Health, Agro or Teach.

Meanwhile, N-TAX is different. The successful applicants under TAX will be called for interview at Ministry of Finance Abuja. After which they will be placed for work.

2-Year-Old Was Famous For Smoking 40 Cigarettes A Day. 6 Years Later, He Looks So Different

2-Year-Old Was Famous For Smoking 40 Cigarettes A Day. 6 Years Later, He Looks So Different

In 2010, the world was shocked when a 2-year-old boy from Indonesia went viral — for being addicted to smoking cigarettes.

A video of the chain-smoking boy, named Ardi Rizal, was posted to the internet. It showed him puffing on a cigarette and news spread that he smoked up to 40 cigarettes a day.

At the time, Ardi’s parents had poor excuses for their son’s addiction. His mother was quoted saying, “If he doesn’t get cigarettes, he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall. He tells me he feels dizzy and sick.” His father said he thought Ardi looked healthy enough.

According to Independent, child smoking in Indonesia is a major concern, with up to 30 percent of the country’s 80 million children taking up the habit by age 10. In 2008, over 165 billion cigarettes were sold in the country.

Ardi’s story resulted in so much global disgust and widespread attention that the Indonesian government placed Ardi in a rehabilitation program to break him of his horrible habit. In fact, there was so much backlash against the footage and photos of Ardi smoking that the government launched a nationwide campaign to end childhood smoking altogether.

Ardi overcame his smoking addiction, but quickly replaced it with another harmful habit…

In 2010, a video of a 2-year-old boy smoking cigarettes went viral. People all over the world were disgusted to see Ardi Rizal puffing on a cigarette in his hometown in Indonesia.

( DailyMail / Ardies Rante / Barcroft Media )

By the time he was 3, Ardi was smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day. Because of the global outrage, the government placed Ardi in a rehab program and launched a campaign to address the problem of child smoking.

( AFP PHOTO / SRIWIJAYA POST / AHMAD NAAFI )

Luckily, Ardi was able to break the habit through his treatment program, which included counseling and therapy — but he replaced one harmful addiction with another.

( DailyMail / Barcroft Media )

Ardi got hooked on junk food. By the time he was 6 years old, Ardi was morbidly obese. His parents, finally willing and ready to see their son healthy, connected him with a nutritionist and placed him on a strict diet.

Ardi, now 8, has kicked both of his addictions. He has vowed to stay away from cigarettes and junk food and has been doing great so far.

Though his story began as a heartbreaking one, Ardi proves anyone can overcome unhealthy habits with determination and support.

Michael Jackson’s Son, Blanket Seen For The First Time In A Very Long Time - All Star Entertainment

Michael Jackson’s Son, Blanket Seen For The First Time In A Very Long Time - All Star Entertainment

Michael Jackson’s Son, Blanket Seen For The First Time In A Very Long Time

All Star Entertainment  - Pop legend, Michael Jackson’s youngest child, Blanket Jackson, 15, was spotted after leaving his Taekwondo class on Wednesday. Blanket who shies away from the media unlike his older sister, Paris Jackson, is said to be a straight-A student who attends ...News Credibility Score:80%

Popular Pastor spends over N4.3 Billion on New Mansions, Shows off Luxury Cars (Photos)

Popular Pastor spends over N4.3 Billion on New Mansions, Shows off Luxury Cars (Photos)

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri who is arguably one of the richest pastors in Africa has just proved his worth by acquiring a house reportedly worth billions of Naira.

The controversial preacher who is also the founder of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church(ECG) in Malawi, seems to enjoy living a luxurious lifestyle.

Prophet Bushiri who already owns three private jets which he acquired in the space of two years, recently purchased a mansion reportedly worth $12million (about N4.3billion).

A post showing the preacher, his wife and some of his exotic cars, was shared on Facebook by Zimbabwe Today, who asked their followers if they think giving tithes benefits their pastors.

See pictures below:

Airforce officer who murdered lover to die by hanging

Airforce officer who murdered lover to die by hanging

Five months after shooting his colleague and lover to death, a jealous Airforce officer has been sentenced to death by hanging.

Ben Kalu and Sholape when the going was good  

A military tribunal set up by the Nigerian Air Force has sentenced Airman Ben Kalu to death by hanging after he was found guilty of shooting his lover, Airwoman Solape Oladipupo, to death on March 12, 2017.

Punch reports that the judgment which started at about 9 am on Tuesday, August 15, dragged till 4 pm when it was stood down before the panelists reconvened at 7.30 pm to pass their judgment.

The lovers when the going was good  (Pulse)

The Judge Advocate, Flight Lieutenant M.A. Umoh, who read out the 70-page court findings which lasted for about two hours, listed the eight-count charges against the 21-year-old Airman Kalu to include murder, attempted murder, house breaking, impersonation, murder, among others.

The defense counsel, Abimiku Ewuga who urged the court to temper justice with mercy, said the accused was his family breadwinner but the President of the court, Group Capt. Elisha Bindul, rejected the plea and found the accused guilty in six out of the eight counts, and sentenced him to death by hanging, subject to the confirmation of the conveying authority.

The obituary of the late Solape Oladipupo  (Pulse)

Recall that Airman Kalu had shot Oladipupo,  aka Shomzy, to death at her Corporal and Below Quarters, Compound 9, Air Force Base, Makurdi, on the suspicion that she was cheating on him with a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in the state.

After shooting her to death, Airman Kalu had tried to commit suicide after leaving a suicide note detailing the reasons he had to take the step of murdering his lover.

The pretty Solape Oladipupo was murdered by her lover  (Facebook)

The murder of the young lady had raised a lot of dust with Nigerians urging the Airforce authority to bring the suspect to book and make sure he paid for his crimes.

All you need to know about Snail's farming in Nigeria

​SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA & SECRETS OF MAKING YOU INDEPENDENT

SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

If you are into agriculture business in Nigeria you will understand and agree with me that every agricultural product could be a source of wealth, be it crops, animal husbandry or by products and even snail farming business in Nigeria. And this has made agriculture to survive no matter what its facing in the current melt down.

Today I will want to discuss about snail farming with you.

And after you may have done reading this post on snail business , you may contact me on any information you may feel like to know, also visit potential snail farms around you to see how its done as well.

I can allow you to visit my farm to learn, practically on snail farm, I will also give you phone number, should you need help. In fact, you can use our experienced snail farmers to help you set-up your own snail business in Nigeria, professionally.

INTRODUCTION TO SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

Snail rearing is a business opportunity which is sometimes overlooked because most people feel it can never be a source of income or wealth. But the truth is if you can give in the sacrifice it requires, you will definitely see that I have shown you how truly you can make more money even at your backyard. Aside that, some people also felt and have the conception  that snail farming can never be regard as a  business because people can easily pick up snail in the farms after rainfalls for consumption  without setting them up as a business. And yes its true but to what extent are you reserving their existence, they deserve life and thats why we have to take charge to make it a source of livelihood. Thats the reason why animal husbandry like poultry farming, piggery and fishery are more popular, and the approach people today have given the snail farming has made them a subtenant means of living in Africa.  The bitter truth you need to know is that the opportunities in snail rearing by far outweigh its challenges or problems.

SNAILS REQUIREMENT IN DETAILS

Snail farming in Nigeria requires capital and not a smaller one but a reasonable one as the building of the pen can vary from one form to another and the working capital may be low, compare to other animal husbandry like poultry, fishery, cattle rearing, goat farming, etc. This is so because snails feeds are very native, national or local. However, snail farming business in Nigeria is a type or kind of agricultural ventures that if one ventures in it diligently and patiently, he/she would not have any cause to regret.

The basic truth is that snails are in high demand and its as well very much demanded in the international market which is as a result of its high level of protein and less cholesterol. So if you think your market is not on demanding scale as you expect, you can as well take your level to the exportation one where it is high n demand, if you visit malls in UK or the USA, there are there in good packaging and are on their demanding list, so why are you not gonna be involved in the snail rearing.

Snail business is not thriving in Nigeria as it is in Australia, Ghana, South Africa and the UK, yes , its on high grounds of commercialization there and thats not to leave Nigeria behind to not make it a boom, as am putting it down that Nigeria is really in a great deal lagging and lacking behind in the production of snails ,so am imploring you my dear reader to take the risk in rearing of snails even in your very backyard.

One thing you should know about snail farming (Heliciculture) which is the process of raising land snails specifically for human consumption or use is that, snail rearing is as simple as ABC. The discovery of the Achatina Achatina, which is also referred to as giant Ghana snail or giant tiger land snail is very high prolific specie of snail which has the potential can lay up to 1,000,000 eggs or more in its life span which is very more in a considerate manner to grab the opportunity in the rearing of snails, let me bring a joke here, if you can raise the Archatina like 100 breeds and it lays up to 200 eggs , do the mathematics of raising them for 6 months , and selling one for N100, we have the breakdown of 100 X 200 X 100 = 2,000,000 in a year, well we shall discuss that in this chapter the chances and the risk in raising them. With the evaluation above now, I am sure you will agree with me now, that snail farming business in Nigeria could be indeed a profitable business.

After I have spent over three years  in the business world, I discovered 7 Secrets which school did not teach you about how to be rich, but will be very more cautious to reveal them to you .

SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA & THE BY-PRODUCTS OF SNAILS

Snails are very sluggish in movement and due to this attribute it has traditionally been a symbol of laziness. Snails are usually found in the forest or bush areas and are very active at night and you will be amazed to see snails eat like they never do, very very active creatures and as well they are regarded as pest to farm crops , so whats it you need to know of their bye products.

SNAIL SHELL

This is the outer and harder part of the snail which the snail uses as protection from their predator or from danger. Most times or sometimes, snail shell can be used for traditional medicine, ornament or beads, decorations, cowries or for local tools. Its been in the system for donkey years and many have made more money in the both exportation and sales locally of the shell of snails.

SNAIL EGGS OR SNAIL CAVIAR

These are the reproduced part of the snail (snail eggs) which will gradually transfer into adult snail. What am about to tell you looks ridiculous but its the truth as Most people eat snail eggs or snail caviar; it is sometimes put into soups or been prepared for the sole aim of consumption, but for business purpose, it is advisable to preserve your snail eggs for reproduction so as to have a great deal of breeds in the future.

The eggs are as well medicinal which controls the level of cholesterol in the body and reduce the risk of catching a stroke, as researchers said. Not medically proven but its medicinal.

SNAIL SLIME.

This is a kind of mucus, an external bodily secretion which is produced by snails, gastropod mollusks thats looks sticky and semen like color. It is jelly in nature. Apart from the part of snail which is been consumed as food, another important part of the snail is the snail slime. Snail slime contains 91-98% water. The slime is filtered multiple times to increase its concentration and ensure its purity.

The Snail slime could be used for various purposes which are as follows :

For traditional medication; long ago, snail slime was traditionally used medicinally from ancient Greece to the middle Ages internally against gastrointestinal ulcers, and in the form of syrup, to soothe a cough. Though now, some people believe in it healing capability and still also use it. You will not also believe that our medical folks in the field are as well using them as therapy in drug creations.

Use in the treatment of burns; In Cameroon, snail slime has also been used by the Bamiléké people of Cameroon to treat burns. This practice is also seen in the era of the twentieth century which has a miraculous way of healing injuries caused from burns.

Use for cosmetics; if you do not know, now you know It now that snail slime is used for cosmetics and it has numerous benefits. Know that most of these cosmetics snail slime are usually extracted from a snail variety known as Cornu Aspersum (previously Helix Aspersa). Snail slime is filled with nutrients such as hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein, proteoglycans, antimicrobial and copper peptides, which are commonly used in beauty products and proven to be beneficial for the skin. Though, these properties help to protect the snails skin from damage, infection, dryness and UV rays and likewise beneficially to human skin.

For serums, facial masks, moisturizers and fading creams-; Snail secretion filtrate is widely used in Korean for beauty products. And these secretions have a neutral look, smell and texture. Snail mucin can be used to treat dry skin, wrinkles and stretch marks, acne and rosacea, age spots, burns, scars, razor bumps and even flat warts.It can also be used for anti-aging properties that it aids to kindle the development of collagen and elastin. It protects skin from free radicals, soothe skin, repair damaged tissues and restore hydration.

Having discussed the by-products and the usefulness of snails, lets quickly look at the health benefits of snail

SNAIL FARMING & HEALTH BENEFITS OF SNAIL

These are the nutrients and vitamins that are been provided by snail for body regulations.

Snail contains choline (an important water-soluble vitamin).  This choline is known to be required in building and maintaining healthy cell membranes, protecting the liver from fat accumulation, help transport triglycerides from the liver, has the ability to break down fat so it is useful to prevent the buildup of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream and also essential for the fetus and infants to help the growth of the brain, therefore, the baby should drink breast milk that rich in choline.

Snail contains high levels of magnesium; which is needed for more than 325 enzymatic reactions, together with been  involved in the synthesis of fats, proteins and nucleic acids, neural activity, muscle contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity and bone metabolism.

Snail is high in selenium which are important minerals and nutrients that fights diseases such as cancer and heart disease. It is also powerful antioxidants that help to prevent the aging and hardening of tissues through oxidation.  Selenium minerals can be found in every cell of the body, which is mainly in the kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, and testes.

Snail contains Omega-3 fatty acids which is very useful for preventing diseases related to the heart because omega 3 can make arterial organ becomes more elastic than that, omega 3 can reduce the risk of high blood pressure. This Omega 3 is also good for improving eye health in general. In 100 grams of snails also contained 100 UI Vitamin A that is good for the eyes. And also assist in the development of the brain and memory of children. Omega-3 is very good to advance our brain health because it affects the growth of cell membranes in the neurological system in the brain. In addition, omega 3 can improve memory so it is suitable for those who often forgetful. Lastly, Children who frequently consume omega 3 it is very good to help the physical and mental development of children.

Snails contain high percentage of protein (12-16%) and irons (45-50 mg/kg) they are low in fat and also contain almost all the amino acids needed by humans.

Snail meat has a high medicinal value known to control hypertension and its blue liquid is used in stopping excessive bleeding from open wounds.
HOW TO START A SNAIL FARMING/REARING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Snail rearing in Nigeria requires you to have at heart the following before thinking of entering it which are 

You must Be determined.

You must Set up a business plan for your snail business.

The ability to Determine your cost or capital.

Ability to Select a fertile land and type of soil.

The Housing and Using of intensive system must be appropriate for their living.

Ability to Selecting the right breed and stocking.

Feed your snail appropriately.

Healthy management.

Reproduction and maturity.

Harvesting.

Marketing your snail.

Other issues; include possible pests and diseases.

Now that we have listed the points that we will be discussing about, now lets explain them one after the other.

1)    Be determined

It is one thing to think of a business plan, it is also another thing to be determined, set it up and nurture it till it grows. To set up a snail farming business in Nigeria, you must be really determined and be sure that this is what you want to do. No business is easy, not even snail farming in Nigeria. Remember when you are determined, you loose procrastination. The zeal must be there before you intend to start any business as this will drive you in making your plans workout.

2)   Write a business plan for your snail business

In setting up a snail farming business in Nigeria, you must setup a perfect business plan for it. A good business is one that has a business plan which is why I always use to emphasize on this when letting down a guard . A business that has a business plan is one that has the high potential of succeeding well. It is so because a business plan entails the amount of capital you intend to start with, your estimated gain, the amount of money you intend to spend in purchasing of equipment or building your facilities, the number of snail youre starting with, etc, plus your marketing strategies. When all these are documented, it will give you an insight of the direction your business is heading to; that is if you are gaining or losing in your snail farm business; this also applies to other business. Another good reason why you should have a good business plan is because whenever you are in need of a loan, a good business plan would back you up to secure a faster loan from investors because the investors could see you as being serious and having a good insight into the snail business.

3)   Determine your cost or capital

You should determine the scale and the amount of money you intend to start your snail farming business with. Do you want to start the snail farming small or do you want to start big? These are among the questions you should have an answer to before you start. Some people start with a huge capital, while other start with little capital then as time goes on, they put in more snails as the profit grows. This all depends on the size of your pocket, remember; the one good thing about snail farming business is that you can start it with low capital.

4)   Selecting a fertile land and type of soil

When selecting a land for starting your snail farming business in Nigeria, select lands that are plain with adequate shade and the soil should not be waterlogged. It must be balanced and it should not be too dry, and also it must not be acidic. If possible, the most desirable and recommended type of soil for snail farming is sandy-loamy or loamy soil with low water holding capacity. The reason why you need a good loamy soil for rearing your snail is because snails derive calcium which is used for forming its shell from the soil and it also gets its water from the soil and lays its eggs on soil. So therefore, Snails cannot be reared on concrete floors.

5)   Snail farming housing and using of intensive system

If you intend to construct and rear your snail in a snail pen, tank or drum and not on an open place or farm, then you are still on point. This method is highly recommended, because you will keep a close watch on your snail and they also wont be able crawl away in different direction. When constructing this pen, tank or drum, or even in trampolines, it can be high or low fenced. For those of you who intend to construct a high fenced pen, the walls should be a dwarf wall with bricks of about 1.5m high built all around it and it should have wire gauze at the top. You should try to prevent ants or insects (who are snails predators) by digging some trenches around the underneath or foundation of the fence and pour some engine oil on it; this will help in prevent the gathering of ants or insects. This same application goes for those constructing low fenced pens. If you intend to construct a concrete floored snail pen; you should cover the ground of the soil with soil, (loamy soil) to give the snails a better condition.

NB: it is better and highly recommended that when constructing your snail pen (house for your snail), you build a pen that has a bare soil on the floor, and not cement it. Put fresh leaves or damp the soil to make the snail feeling at home. 

(6)  Selecting the right breed and stocking for your snail farm.

After constructing your snail pen, now its time to stock your snail pens with snails. When selecting or getting your snail, you should select snails that are fresh; they should also have hard shells without damage, patches or nodes on the surface.

Also look for the ones that are sexually matured which weigh heavily. There many species of nails in Nigeria. And they are;

Zebra Nerite snail

Tracked Nerite snail

Horned Nerite snail

Sulawesi snail

Pond snail

Apple snail

The best species are known as Achatina Fulica, Achatina Achatina and the Archachatina Marginata but for rearing snail, it is better and highly recommended that you get the Achatina Achatina (also known as giant Ghana snail or giant tiger land snail.) The reason why it is recommended that you rear Achatina Achatina snail species is because it is big in nature, and most especially, this snail can lay many eggs up to over one thousand each year. This kind of massive reproduction is good snail farming business in Nigeria.

7)    Feeding your snail.

Like I wrote before, rearing snail or snail farming is really not costly which is why it is a good business to venture into, feeding your snail is really not costly because snail feeds on fruits, sweet potato, cassava tuber, soya bean, maize chaff, palm kernel cake, fish meal, tomatoes, cocoyam, pawpaw fruits, cucumber and leaves, plantains, bananas, cabbage, lettuce leaves and guava fruits. As you can see, snails are carefree animals that are not really selective of foods. Just make sure that whatever fruit or food you are giving them is salt free that is, it has no salt. But the simple way I have discovered in composing their meal shall be revealed to you below , all you need to do is enter the market and make your composition. So for a 50 kilogram meal, you can use 

25 kg of white or yellow maize

5 kg of soya beans

5 kg of wheat offals

3 kg of groundnut 

2 kg of Palm kernel cake

3 kg of fish meal

6 kg of Bones that have been burnt or ashed

1 kg of lysine and monotoline , these are vitamins premixes

After this you grind and bag it , this can be given to them either moistened or dry as that. I hope I have been able to help you this far, if you feel like having a one on one consultation, feel free to call for an appointment .

8)    Snail farming healthy management

Just because we having been saying that snails dont fall sick as much or that snails are easy to manage does not mean you should not take care of your snail. There is much mortality in snail, as it is in other animal husbandry too. You should remember to take adequate care of your snail. Put in mind that it is your business and source of income and dont just treat it anyhow. Know when to provide it food. Feed your snails regularly morning and night with drinking water and also avoid mixing with salt, mixing fruits and tuber leaves. Always try to frequently clean the feed and water dishes and give them good water. Also Earthworms added to the soil help keep the pen clean

9)    Snail farming reproduction and maturity.

Male and female snails fertilize each another, after mating which may take several hours, they lay their eggs in depressions under logs or fragments. Though they start laying white eggs 8-12 months when they are sexually mature, Snail eggs hatches between 3 to 6 week, this si due to the environmental situation .

After hatching, the baby snail stays in the soil for 2-5 days. Then the baby should be put in a separate pen to give it available space to grow. Moreover, it usually takes up to 1½ to 2 years to grow to adulthood. A well matured snail should have a thick, harder and if possible big brim/shell.

10)     Other issues on snail farming; include possible pests and diseases

You should look out for possible pest or disease that could harm your snail.  Parasites, nematodes, trematodes, fungi, and micro arthropods can attack snails, and such problems can spread rapidly when snail populations are intense. Also look out for and prevent rats, mice, moles, skunks, weasels, birds, frogs, toads, lizards and walking insects. Another thing is solider ants as when they sting them, they hide in their shells and die off gradually, never allow a dead snail to stay longer in the pen as that will cause lots of fungus and pathogens to start breeding. These are pests that could harm your snail.

11)   Harvesting your snail.

When your snails are all matured, harvest them for selling, Do not sell your snail when it is not yet mature.  It is advisable not to harvest all the snail at once this is it is important so as to keep some for breeding and to serve as base stock for your snail farm.

12)  Marketing your snail

Though it is better to do this before harvesting, sample your snail to available buyers who might be interested. Market your snail to market women, hotels, joints and also restaurants. But before you do this, do a market research to know how much snail cost in the market. This will help you know the price to which you will be selling yours; so as not to sell above the normal price or below the normal price.

SNAIL FARMING DISEASES

This section was reserved till now because it could be boring. Below are some of the diseases of snails you may want to be familiar with. We may write details on them later on this blog. 

Operculum detoriation: holes, loss of operculum

Snail inactivity

Loss of tentacles or small tentacles

Hole in the shell

Thin and fragile shell

Body disformation

Detoriation of shell and operculum

Oedema

Discoloration in new shell

Intoxications

Rough shell surface in new shell parts

Reproduction problems

Irregular growth of the shell

Egg problem

Snails Deseases and Pests

You must be aware of several predators, parasites and diseases if you really want to make it in this business Because Snails have many natural predators, including members of all major vertebrate groups, carnivorous snails, ground beetles, leeches and even predatory caterpillars.

Predators

When we talk about predators the major predators of snail farming are field mice, rats and shrews, frogs and toads, thrushes, crows and domesticated birds such as ducks and turkeys, lizards and snakes, drilid and carabid beetles, and millipedes and centipedes. The frogs tend to take only the young snails, while the reptiles eat both eggs and snails of all ages.

If your farm is located in an area with high bird predation, it is necessary to use nets to cover your pens. You should make sure you are removing leftover food daily from pens because some predators, particularly rats and field mice, are attracted by the leftover foods. These predators can decimate a farm in a few days.

Diseases, The disease that are known which attack snails are fungal disease it spread through physical contact by the snails licking slime from each other's bodies. The first is a bacterial disease, caused by Pseudomonas; it leads to intestinal infections that may spread rapidly amongst dense snail populations. The second disease is caused by the fungus Fusarium, which parasitises their eggs of Helix aspersa. The affected eggs turn reddish-brown and development stops. This disease is commonly referred to as 'rosy eggs disease'.  Parasites, nematodes, trematodes, fungi, and microarthropods can attack snails, and such problems can spread rapidly when snail populations are dense. The bacterium Pseudomonas eruginosa causes intestinal infections that can spread rapidly in a crowded snail pen so make sure that your pen is not over crowded.. Possible predators include rats, mice, moles, skunks, weasels, birds, frogs and toas, lizards, walking insects(e.g., some beetle and cricket varieties), some types of flies, centipedes, and even certain carnivorous snail species, such as Strangesta capillacea can also feed on your snail if your pen is not well secured.

Basic hygiene prevents the spread of diseases. What you can do to prevent your snail farm from dis disease is to make sure you are cleaning it regularly to remove excreta and uneaten food, as well as any other decaying matter that may serve as substrate for pathogenic organisms. It is also advisable to sterilise the soil in hutch boxes by steaming or heating every time they are being prepared for a new batch of egg.

Now you see; setting up a snail farming business in Nigeria has a lot of advantage from having a low cost in setting up to easy management.

Snail farming business in Nigeria is among the lucrative agricultural business opportunity that most people who knows the worth are embarking on.
The secret of making millions in any business is to master your game, dream big, try to differentiate yourself from competitors and work smarter.
For more information, visit my facebook page as TDK snails farm.

My email is kennynthny@gmail.com or kennynthny@live.com.

Phone number is 08086931603.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to show appreciation, you can drop anything to my first bank account which is 

First Bank, Anthony Adesanya

3030958031.

Have a great deal in snail farming.

Thanks , the unselfish snail farmer