Snail farming is one of the most lucrative practices businesses all over the world and its practices are mostly among young entrepreneurs. To start snail farming you must follow some steps. Here, we have explained how to start a snail farming business.
Farming is a way or method in which people practice cultivating the land. It is also a method of planting seeds and growing crops or keeping animals. It is also based on producing raw materials for personal purposes and commercial purposes.
Farming is a lucrative business nowadays that gives a huge profit but it’s a shame that most of our youth don’t want to do such a thing.
Steps to take on how to start a farm successfully
Don’t just run into farming without some fact, most people run into farming because their friend or family make it through farming and they forget steps to take and later run to loss at the end, below are the steps you should take before you start farming.
Planning
Planning is a very important aspect of any business, do your business plan i.e the method you want to use for farming, is it laborer or machine, and determine the cost of each method you used.
Land
If you plan well about your farm and the land you want to use is not fertile, your entire plan is Zero. Research the land you want to use or you can consult a specialist and don’t forget the cost of land i.e is it for sale or rent and the type of soil.
Type of farming
We have different types of farming that you can embark on and it is also divided into two categories.
Short time farming: within 5 months to 2 years before you will harvest it, such as
- Tomatoes
- Pepper
- Onion
- Maize
- Snail
- Fish
- Rice
- Poultry etc.
Longtime farming: 2 years above such as
- Plantain
- Cocoa
- cola nut
- walnut
- Orange
- Cashew and so on.
Determine the period you want to use if you want to start your farming.
To Start a Snail Farming Business Follow this step
Find a suitable Soil for your snail
Look for suitable soil for your snail the soil is the most aspect of farming, a good soil determines the success of your snail farming. The soil must contain some components which are necessary for your snail to survive. The best soil for snail farming is (sandy loamy soil) because the snail likes where is cool. Sandy loamy soil contains low water and can easily lay eggs.
Buying of snail
Once you have found suitable land for your farm the next is to buy a snail we have at least 3 types of snails. They are; Achatina Fulica, Achatina Achatina, and Archachatina Marginata (popularly known as giant West African snail).
Buy fresh quality snail from the market, any farm, or a snail expert that gets it directly from the forest.
Housing
Housing is the most important to set up your snail housing you must determine the size of your snail farm so that you can have enough space for your snails to move freely. Too many snails in housing should be avoided because if one snail has a disease the other snail can easily affect by it due to overcrowding. It’s more advisable to sort out your snail by age i.e newly hatched, young, and mature snails. Your snail housing should be low in temperature to prevent snails from losing water quickly. Housing also protects your snails from harm and poor weather condition.
Feeding
Snails generally eat fruit, green leaves, raw food that is soft because of their teeth, etc. it’s important to feed your snails in the morning and night for the proper growth and provide them with enough drinkable water. Some of the leaves you can feed your snail are banana leaves, cocoyam leaves, waterleaves, pawpaw, okra, tomatoes, etc.
Some of the food that you can feed your snail are rice, corn, staples, wheat, beans, and other soft food with no SALT.
How to maintain your farm
Your farm must always be clean. If your farm is dirty, the snail can easily get a disease that can lead to their death. Here are the things you must adapt to.
- Always remember to change the soil on your farm at least 3 month
- Sweep the dirt things inside the farm
- Picking the weed that grows inside it
- Always spray your farm with water if there’s no rain
Pests and diseases
In some areas, the pests and diseases may be different but the most common enemies that should be prevented by all means are geese, turkey, ants, snakes, termites, etc.
Harvesting
Before you can say you want to harvest your snail must reach the maturity stage. The maturity takes about 2 years, only matured snails can be harvested.
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Note: do not harvest all your matured snail at once leave some in your snail housing.
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