₦airaland Forum

Benefits of Feeds and feeding in snails ( Achatina achatina)
Broiler starter diet seemed to favour growth in both juvenile and adult snails whereas layer mash favoured reproductive performance in the snails.
Papaya fruits can be used as a cheap source of feed to Archachatina marginata though they give lower performances than bananas. Ripe fruits are preferable to unripe ones.

Papaya peels and papaya leaves

Papaya peels and leaves fed to giant West African snails gave the best results in feed intake, weight gain and shell increment with no adverse effects when compared to other tropical fruit by-products (mango, plantain and cocoyam).

My goat

@Belexy, Alakara, Thanks, Not really for now because I'm limited due to the facts that I'm still in School.
I ventured into the following business
Rabbit business
Snails business
Productions and selling of forest (Trees) seedlings + Horticultural seedlings
Production of rams + goat.
The following are the business I wish to venture into very soon
Charcoal productions
Indigenous knowledge for safety, defense and Therapy
Making of briquetting (Briquette).
Thanks.

My rams

Thanks, I will.

That is lovely.

@ Olamilec... Very soon, I will soon be in Ibadan ( sept 14). At least I will been spending one month over there.

This scenero happens yesterday in a colleague farm

Could you believe that I had an escape from my farm yesterday night. 40 snails of Archachatina maginata got escape.

I

Im

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@/Fiddzy, After slaughering the rabbit, I make use of kerosene stove, or a gas cooker to defur the rabbit but you may also use hot water to remove the fur but I don't like the method at all.... Thanks

@ Fiddy, I can't really identify MR FLEMISH GIANT amongst the two rabbits but note that every rabbit has the tendency of becoming bigger or larger in size depending on the nutrient composition of the feeds but all these lies in the hands of the breeders because some feeds are good for breeders/ parent stocks, while some are good for meat, fur productions.
Thanks

I purposely made the cage to be high because of some reasons and moreover rabbit don't really need much ventilation because it can cause pneumonia as a result of too much of cold. Thanks

@ Alakara, No I'm not a certified capenter I learnt how to construct rabbit's cage from one of my boss when I started the business because rabbit cage is different from chicken cages or other animal cages.
Thanks.

Yes @ yemmit90, the number is correct. Thanks

New rabbit cage under construction, constructed by me yesterday.

@)Yemmit90, each one goes for 20 naira, thanks.

No, Mr Boluwasegun and please can you kindly share some information with us, if possible with picture pls. Thanks

My newly rabbit's net and healthy rabbit kits

Morning, one of my doe rabbit gave birth to 7 kits today. I hand picked the newly born kits with my bear hands,and this is to prove that you can pick your newly born rabbit with your bear hands.

@Cmax16, thanks so much for the video, I'm really grateful. Let me know sir when the time comes.Thanks

HOW TO ACQUIRE SNAIL
Snails can be collected both in dry season and wet season but in abundant during wet season. Sometimes the snail goes in to Aestivations (the process whereby snail cover their aperture with their apiphram until favorable condition is met. Snails can be either be acquired from the following means:-
Capture in the wild
Snail can be acquired from Road side snails’ seller.
Snail can be purchase from the village market
CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF SNAIL FOUNDATION
Snail with broken shell should not be selected.
Bigger snail must be avoided because they are aged or old and cannot last on the farm. The Snail should be of matured size of about 180g-400g in weight.
Stressed snail should be avoided.
Snail of the same species must be selected.
USES / IMPORTANCE OF SNAIL
They can be used for;
Curing constipation
For preventing asthma
To cure small pox in human being
To reduce labour pain both during birth and it also hasten the expulsion of foetus and placenta during parturition.

IMPORTANCE OF SNAIL FARMING
Snails are mollusc with soft un-segmented body widely acceptable as a delicacy in Nigeria. The importance of snail farming is appreciated far and wide for the following reasons;
Good source of protein
Employment generation
Source of foreign exchange
For medical use
Feed addictive
Domestic use
Market potential
One can sell in market life for buyers
Life span
6 – 7 years
Thanks and goodmorning to you all.

SNAIL REQUIREMENT THAT MUST BE MEET IN INTENSIVE SYSTEM
Soil - snail can be found in the loamy or top soil
Why is loamy soil important? It is because it has ability to retain water which is helpful in hatching of their eggs, Also, loamy soils are poor conductor of heat
The soil need to be sterilized either by sundry or application of insecticide
Mulching materials like dried banana leaves
Purpose of dried banana leaves
The banana leaf is used to cover the soil and the snails.
The banana leaf protect the snails because they are nocturnal animal
The banana leaf enrich the soil when they are recomposed.
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT
Archachatina marginata matures sexually at the age of ten (10 - 12) months
Achatina achatina matures sexually at about the age of two (2) years
Achatina fulica matures sexually at the age of six to eight (6 - months.

CLUTCH SIZE
Clutch size refers number of egg that an animal can lay at a time.
Archachatina marginata lays eggs up to four to six (4-6) eggs at a time.
Achatina achatina and Archatina fulica have clutch size varies from fifty to three hundred (50-300) eggs.
TYPES OF PEN IN SNAIL HOUSE
Breeder pen
Nursing pen
Breeders pen
NURSING PEN
The place where babies are kept or being nursed for 3 months
GROWER’S PEN
Babies are moved from nursing pen when they are 3 months old to growers’ pen to spend another 7 months.
BREEDERS PEN
After the 10 months spent all together in the Nursing and Growers pen baby are then moved to the breeders pen.
HOW SNAIL LAYS THEIR EGGS
They use their head to push the soil and lay eggs through the anal pores, after they cover the eggs with the soil. The eggs must not be exposed to the atmosphere to prevent it from been unfertile.
Incubation period for snail varies from twenty-eight to thirty-two (28-32) days.

FEEDS AND FEEDING
Snails eat varieties of feed, which varies from leaves to fruit to flowers to tubers and to formulated feed.
Leaves
Green pawpaw leafs.
Green cocoyam leaves.
Green ugwu leaves.
Green cassava leaves.
Green goat weed (Tridax procumbens)
Fruits
Ripe plantain and banana.
Both ripe and unripe pawpaw.
Ripe mango.
Cucumber
Watermelon and melon fruit.
Tuber
Sliced cassava tuber
Sweet potato.
FORMULATED FEED
Layers mash
Flowers
Flowers from female pawpaw plant
Note: It is advisable to serve their food in the evening (around 7-8pm) because they are nocturnal animal.
PREDATORS (ENEMIES OF SNAIL)
Man.
House or bush rat
Ants.
Skink.
Monitor Lizard
Turkey
Duck
Crabs e.t.c.

HOUSING SYSTEM FOR THE SNAIL
There are two types of housing system for snails which are:-
Small scale
Large scale

Small scale consists of:
Old motor tyre system
Locally woven basket
Earth pot
Movable wooden box
Hutch box
Large scale consists of:
Trench pen (which at least 7.67m X 7.67m X 0.76m; Lx B x H)
This trench pen could be made in two forms with the use of:-
Mosquito net
Wire mesh or chicken mesh gauge
IMPORTANT FEATURES OF SNAIL HOUSE
It must be well constructed and escape proof for snails
It must prevent predators from gaining access
It must have enough space to enable proper handling of snails
It must be constructed in a way that snails are not directly exposed to sunlight and heat since they are shade tolerant and nocturnal in nature
Direct water splash must also be prevented.

WEST AFRICA GIANT LAND SNAIL (EDIBLE SNAIL)
Three species of West Africa giant snails are;
Archachatina maginata (Commonly called Margies)
Achatina achatina (Commonly called Tiger Snail)
Achatina fulica(commonly called Garden Snail)
Archachatina marginata, Achatina achatina

Achatina fulica.

Archachatina marginata: They are commonly called margin. It is the biggest among the three specie of the giant land snail. The body is bulbous and the shell’s colour is generally brown with some striped dark brown. The tail end of the shell of Archachatina is blunted. Its foot colour is generally brown but lighter which sometimes varies in between the same species from brown to black. Life span is up to seven (7) years.
Achatina achatina: Its body is elongated. Background colour of it shell is light brown with zigzag streak are dark-brownish in colour. The tail end is pointed or v-shaped. The aperture is usually pink in colour which distinguishes it from other species. Its foot colour is neither brown nor black. It is grey in colour. It is commonly called Tiger snail.

Snail morphology
The West African snail is a gastropod. It is a mollusc with well-developed head and coiled asymmetrical shell and visceral mass the large internal organs in the abdominal cavity or system. The asymmetrical shell of the snail develops in conformity to a trophy growth of visceral organ. Tilting to one side of the organism usually left and usually causing growth in coiled pattern of the visceral mass. As a result of this growth pattern i.e. the visceral is compactly formed within the spirally coiled shell
Another important feature of is the foot of the snail which is fleshy and muscular in nature. Movement on land is by means of the fleshy foot which means moving forward is in an undulating waves during movement, the snail create a vacuum that enables it to cross the coiling, supporting its light weight when suspended from a rough porous surface
Furthermore, during movement two pairs of tentacles (the upper and the lower) are in erected position. The upper tentacles are longer and thicker than the lower tentacles which are close to the mouth. The mouth is flexible organs mostly used for feeding or sensation while on movement
Achatina fulica: It is commonly called the garden snail because it is usually found in the garden. Its body is also elongated like that of Achatina achatina. The tail end is also pointed. It has no streak and its foot colour is grey.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF SNAILS

Archachatina marginata
Achatina achatina
Achatina fulica

Body structure
The body structure is bulbous
The body is elongated
The body is elongated

Tail end of the shell
The tail end of the shell is blunted or broad and it is U-shape.
The tail end of the shell is pointed and it is V-shape.
The tail end is pointed and it is V-shape.

Shell colour
The shell colour is brownish with white streaks
The colour is brown with brown zigzag streaks
Shell colour look like that of margies

Foot colour
Varies from black to brown
Grey with mixture of white and dotted which is seen at close range
The foot colour is grey

LOL,ok oooo samshoz

@Peaceuntou, Thanks sir for the call and I would be glad in receiving your call sir and have a splendid day ahead.

@Belexyfarm, 1st cage starting from the left hands side has 8 cells majorly constructed for the mothers alone each dimension for the cell room is 2fts...total lenght is 8fts, breadth is 2fts...
2nd cages have 8 cells, it is face me and face you rabbit cage, four cell in the front and four at the back
Others Have 6, 5, 5 cells respectively... The size of the cell will or the total length will determine the size of the net to be use.

Amin....Thanks and keep me inform when you want to start the snailery.

@ samshot, nice one, you can also give the buck grasses I think he should eat it better or did anything happen to the rabbit is their any fight, injury between the rabbit and any other rabbit within your farm?.