How to Start Snail Farming Business in Nigeria

This is a detailed post on how to start snail farming business. I know this guide will help you well on this subject.

Do you know that snail farming is very easy to start and manage? In fact it is the easiest farming business to run. This is because it requires little capital and less attention.

Do you also know that with only 2 hours of your time daily and a little capital, you can earn millions of naira annually doing snail farming.

Sounds too good to be true. But it is. Now let me give you a simple but realistic illustration.

A good specie of snail lays an average of 600 eggs in 6 months.
The egg hatch between 2 to 3 weeks and matures in 1 year.
If you start a snail farm with 50 snails, you will have about 30,000 snails in 6 months.
Before one year of maturity, these snails must have laid about 1,200 eggs each.
At maturity, each snail sells for about #50 * 30,000 = #1,500,000 within 1 year and 6 months.
And you still have enough hatched snails to rear.

However, you should note that snails take a very long time to mature for sales. So, it requires a lot of patience. Unlike catfish that mature within 6 months.

Now, if you are ready to explore this gold mine. Follow me as I reveal to you all you need to know about snail farming. FOR FREE.

In this post, I will discuss the merits of snail farming. That is, why you need to start snail farming.

The best specie of snail for farming.

And requirements for snail farming.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD START SNAIL FARMING BUSINESS

• snail farming unlike fish farming and poultry farming requires less capital investment to start. And the operational cost is also very low.

• snail farming business have large and untapped market. The market is large enough to accommodate new entrants.

• the demand for snail is very high compared to the supply. With over 300,000 tonnes of snail demanded annually. You will agree with me that the market is quite large.

• snail is a great source of protein and low in fat. So, it is demanded locally for preparation of local delicacies. And internationally as well.

• snail farming is less time demanding and not too stressful. Unlike other farming ventures such as fish farming, poultry and livestock rearing.

• snail farming does not require large expanse of land to be started. So, you can turn the small space at your backyard into a snail heaven.

• snail rearing is odourless and doesn’t produce wastes like poultry and fishery. So, a snailery can be located anywhere there is a little space around your house.

• snail farming requires less expertise to start and run. All you need to do is follow the guidelines am going to give you in this article.

• snail farming encounters less risks and challenges unlike other farming businesses.

• In snail farming, you don’t need to bother about restocking at the end of every farming section. This is because snails are hermaphrodites and lays egg throughout the year.

• snail farming can serve as a source of passive income for anyone because it requires less attention.

 

THE BEST SNAIL SPECIES FOR FARMING IN NIGERIA.

There are over 1000 thousand species of snail in the world. However, only two out of all is most suitable for rearing.

Especially in this part of the world. And that is because of their availability, reproductive prowess and their growth potentials.

These two species are Achatina Achatina (Giant Ghana Snail) and Archachatina Marginata (Giant West African Snail)

 

ACHATINA ACHATINA: This remains the best specie of snail for farming. This is because they are native to West Africa and so easily found in Ngeria.

Secondly, this specie of snail is usually very large and weigh up to 200 grams at maturity. You know what that means – the bigger the size, the heavier your bank account.

Thirdly, this specie are prolific egg layers. They lay about 1000 to 1200 eggs per year. This means you dont have to bother about restocking your farm. You can even start supplying small snails to new farmers.

Almost forgot to let you know how to identify this guy when looking for him. The Giant Ghana snail is usually reddish-brown in colour.

 

ARCHACHATINA MARGINATA: This is also a very good breed and commonly found in Nigeria. They also grow to be very big and are prolific breeders like the guys above(Achatina Achatina).

However, the achatina achatina remains the most profitable specie for snail farming. But this specie can be reared in the absence of the Achatina Achatina specie. They are usually dark-brown in colour and grows up to 20 cm at maturity.

If you have followed this post up to this level, then you are almost ready to start and run a successful snail farm.

Yeah, this is because by now you have known that snail farming is very profitable. You have also known the best specie to rear.

And these are the most important things you need to to know before you start snail farming.

Like i told you earlier, starting snail farming business is easy.

However, don’t stop reading yet. Because you are going to still need the requirements am about to discuss below.

Mind you, these are little requirements that matters. So, read carefully and pay attention to details.

Anyway, that is if you are interested in making profit.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

SNAILERY: This is the house, or space where you rear your snail. This can be a whole plot of land or a space of about half plot.

Snail farming do not require massive investment in acquiring space. However, which ever space you may decide to use should be made comfortable for the snails to breed.

Before choosing a snail farm, you should bear the following in mind:

The soil should not be too acidic, waterlogged or dry. So, the most suitable soil for snail farming is sandy-loamy soil.

This type of soil have low water retaining capacity and high in nutrients.

Snails derive nutrients with which they grow and form their shells from the soil. They also lay their eggs in burrows made in the soil.

Also, snailery should have trees like banana, plantain or other small trees. These provides shade to the snail and acts as a wind break. The leaves of this trees also fall and enrich the soil.

So, if your space is a concrete floor, endeavor to fill it with enough sandy-loamy soil. You can also provide artificial shades in the absence of trees.

Ensure that the snailery is not situated in a windy or sunny place. Because excess wind or sunlight dehydrates the snails.

And don’t forget to cover openings around your snail farm with tiny wires or nets to prevent them from escaping.

These wires also prevent predators like snake, rodents and so on from eating up your snails.

 

STOCKING: There are basically two ways of stocking (getting snails to start your farm). The first and best way is to collect them from the bush.

This is the best because this way you are sure of having healthy snails from their natural habitat to start.

To get snail through this approach you have to rise early (between 5 to 6am ) daily to collect snails from bushes.

You can use sweet fruits like plantain, pineapple, banana etc as baits. Sprinkle them on the floor overnight, then the next morning you proceed to the place and pick the snails that will gather there.

This is a continuous process and should be done until you get enough snails to start your farm.

The second way is to buy the snails from the market, this approach enables you to get enough snails to start your farm at once.

However, you run the risk of buying unhealthy and less productive snails. This is because market snails are usually exposed to sunlight. As a result may be dehydrated before you buy them.

So, if you must buy from the market, ensure to go to the market very early. That way, you may get healthy snails to start your snail farming business.

 

FEEDING: Snails feed mainly on green leaves and also utilize nutrients from the soil to grow and most importantly form their shells.

So, to supplement nutrients from the soil, you should supply the snails with coco-yam leaves, cabbage, paw paw, pawpaw leaves, lettuce leaves, okra leaves, mango, cassava leaves, pears, oil palm fruits, eggplant leaves, cabbage, and even some inedible fruits and vegetables you have at home.

Also, you can from time to time buy snail feeds from feed stores as this formulas are rich in calcium. Snails require a lot of calcium to grow their shells.

 

HARVESTING AND MARKETING: Before starting your farm, it is very important that you make enquiries as i discussed earlier.

This enables you to know the right people to contact when your snails are due for sales.

It is also good you ascertain the current market and wholesale prices before sales.

Snails mature between 1 year and 1½ years. And you identify a matured snail by the brim.

Usually, at full maturity, the brim of the shell becomes very strong and thicker than the other parts of the shell.

 

START A SNAIL FARM TODAY

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HELP OTHERS AS I HAVE HELPED YOU BY SHARING THIS POST.

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10 thoughts on “How to Start Snail Farming Business in Nigeria”

  1. I noticed a problem with the Achachatina magibata. After some days of rearing, i found empty shell in the cage and i have been researching on the cause as to guard against it. i have not noticed this with the Acachatina Achachatina. Thanks

    Reply
  2. Hello, thanks for the wonderful information you shared on snail farming. My question is if as a result of exposure to sunlight and a snail is dehydrated, how can the snail regain hydration.

    Reply
    • I think you will simply need to return them back to moist shady environment and they will regain hydration.

      Reply

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