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Another agricultural enterprise that is currently gaining popularity is snail farming. You can start your own snail farm for only #50,000, and it can generate an annual profit of about #4,000,000.

Using only #50,000?

Yes, it has been demonstrated countless times, and if you can export your snail, the benefits will go beyond that.

So where should I begin?

If you already know how to raise snails, starting a snail farm is not difficult. If not, you’ll need to learn from a farmer who is already in the business; this training shouldn’t take more than a month. If you don’t know how to take care of snails, please don’t start; you don’t want to lose your snail to a parasite or sickness.

The steps you must follow in order to have a successful snail farm are listed below, but read the following first and make a note of it.

Provide good  environment

Snails need a dark, damp environment, so wherever you decide to set up your snail farm, make sure it’s out of the way of the sun and the heat. You can spray water on their environment to make it cool during the dry season.

Pen/house

The science behind keeping your snail in a pen is to protect it from predators and parasites. Let the pen be cool and out of the sun, similar to their surroundings. To replicate their native habitat, scatter soil and leaves inside their pen.

Cost analysis for growing snails

Cost analysis for raising snails depends on the volume of the harvest, so let’s say you start out small.

A wooden cage will cost you #10,000.

One snail costs #500.

50 snails cost #25,000.

Commercial feed costs $12,000 a bag. They’ll go through one bag in four months, so you’ll need two, which will cost $24,000.

You can add fruit, leaves, and kitchen waste to the feed as a supplement.

Cost in total is #59,000

How profitable is farming snails?

The quantity of your animals determines how profitable your snail farm will be. Assume you keep 50 mature snails for a period of two years. Your gain is guaranteed.

In a year, one snail will produce 300 hatchlings.

150 x 50 snails equals 15,000 snails.

Suppose you receive 10,000 mature snails in six to seven months.

1 adult snail equals #500

10,000 mature snails per year equals #5,000,000.

How to start farming snails in Nigeria

Choose your breed.

Similar to other animals, snails are bred differently depending on their size and the quantity of eggs they lay. Knowing what your target market wants will help you choose the right breeds.

For example, if you are targeting an international market, Achachatina marginanta is the way to go. If you want to have a lot of snails, Achatina achatina is your best option.

The Nigerian snail breeds and their traits are listed below.

Margate Achachatina

The largest of the three species of snail found in west Africa is also referred to as the “west Africa giant snail.” They have an eight-year life span and the capacity to reach 20 cm in length. They can lay anywhere from 6 to 14 eggs, and they do so four times a year.

Chattin’ achatin’

They are the second-largest snail in West Africa, and because their eggs are smaller than those of Achachatina marginata, they can lay between 80 and 350 eggs in a single lay. However, they only lay eggs one or two times a year.

fulica acahtina

They lay between 100 and 600 eggs five times a year, making them the smallest species of snail in Africa.

Snail purchasing

If you know someone who raises snails, you can purchase them from them, but if you don’t know anyone, please avoid purchasing snails from roadside vendors because they are frequently stressed, which is bad for snails and can cause them to lose their fertility.

Try as much as you can to obtain a forest snail because it is the best type for rearing. Here are some methods for obtaining forest snails.

Clear a small area in a bush during the rainy season if you know you will encounter snails or have previously seen them. Slice banana, pawpaw, and cucumber in this small area between 4 and 6 o’clock in the afternoon, then leave and return at night; you’ll encounter many snails there.

Once more, do not purchase from a roadside vendor to save money.

Constructing a snail pens

A box filled with sandy, loamy soil can be made into a snail house on a small scale. You can also lay leaves on the soil to create a humid environment.

You will need a concrete floor cover with sandy loamy soil and surrounded by net for large-scale projects. Regardless of the scale you choose, make sure the house is not facing the sun or the wind.

Food and more food

Herbivorous snails eat leaves and fruit, and they primarily eat at night when there is little to no disturbance. They are not expensive to feed because their food is simple to obtain; in fact, I know someone who feeds his snails nothing but kitchen scraps, but doing so for business purposes is not recommended.

Because snails have soft teeth, whatever food you choose to give them should be soft (fruit) and less fibrous (leaf). Snails drink water as well, so be sure to provide it for them.

The foods your snail can eat are listed below.

Leave

Pawpaw goes.

Leaves of okra

Leaves of cassava

lettuce leaves

Lettuce

Cabbage

Fruit

Pawpaw

Banana

Cucumber

Pears

Eggplant

Mango

concentrated feed mill product

picking up your snail

The best way to determine your snail maturity is to use your finger to lightly press the brim of the snail; if it is hard, the snail has matured and is ready for consumption. Snails can be harvested between 6 and 7 months of age, though the age has been proven unreliable over the year.

Don’t harvest all of your snails; save some for reproduction.

How to sell your snail

You can sell your snail in one of five ways, and they are as follows:

1) You can sell to market vendors in your neighborhood, but beware—these people are ripoff artists. Before going to them determine the least price you will sell your snail.

2) You can take the snail to local market yourself; rent a place to display your snail. The con of this way is that it might take you time before you sell your entire snail but you will make your money.

3) Sell to restaurant and eateries. This will be possible as you grow your snail business because they buy in bulk and if your stock is not much they won’t even look your side

4) Sell to high net worth individuals. This requires networking and they might ask you to process it, but if done right you will always smile to bank. You don’t need many snails to make it if you can get high net worth people as your customer.

5) You can export your snail. Before considering exportation make sure you have clean snail and ready to process it.

Conclusion

Snail farming is a profitable venture that has been milking money for entrepreneur that go into it, it can milk money for you too if you are ready to follow all the steps above.