₦airaland Forum

Greetings, Nairalanders!

I’m excited to share my journey as I venture into snail farming on a structured 85x50 ft land in Ogun State. After thorough research and planning, I’ve decided to establish a greenhouse-style snail farm with some modern features to ensure efficiency and sustainability.




Why Snail Farming?

Snail farming, also known as heliciculture, is one of the most lucrative and environmentally friendly agricultural ventures. With high demand for snail meat due to its nutritional value, this business has the potential to yield significant returns. Plus, it’s a low-noise, low-maintenance farming venture ideal for urban or rural settings.




About My Farm Setup

Here’s a breakdown of how I’m setting up the farm:

1. Land Size:

The pen would be built on a 85x50 ft land size. This size allows ample space for a proper greenhouse structure and walkways.



2. Greenhouse Style:

I’m opting for the greenhouse farming method, which provides better temperature control and protection from predators and harsh weather conditions. This ensures the snails thrive and grow efficiently.



3. Water Source:

I’m currently constructing a borehole to supply water for the farm. Proper hydration is essential for snail farming, as snails require a moist environment for optimal growth.



4. Snail Stock:

I plan to start with 5,000 snails, focusing on species such as Archachatina marginata (giant African land snail) and Archachatina archatina.



5. Environmental Management:

I’ll maintain an optimal soil pH and ensure the greenhouse has adequate shading and ventilation.

The farm will allocate 5% of the space for walkways to aid easy management.





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Challenges and Prospects

I anticipate challenges like pest control, temperature regulation, and feed formulation, but I’m ready to tackle these with proper management practices. On the brighter side, the increasing demand for snail meat both locally and internationally offers great opportunities for profitability.


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What’s Next?

The borehole construction is ongoing, and I’ll soon start setting up the greenhouse structure. Once the snails arrive, I’ll focus on feeding them with a mix of formulated feed and natural vegetables to achieve 300g in 12 months.


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Join Me on This Journey!

I’ll be sharing updates on my progress, challenges, and successes right here. If you’re into snail farming or considering starting, feel free to share tips or ask questions. Let’s grow this venture together!


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I hope this inspires someone to explore the potential of snail farming. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Best regards.

Construction progress:

The foundation work is underway, alongside clearing grass and uprooting unwanted trees.

Some progress with the perimeter. This should be competed in 3 days time.

Weldone Op. Following the thread judiciously

Nice one Op. Hopefully, this inspires many youth.

Made progress yesterday casting the gavanised iron for a solid base.

Good luck chief. I hope you did extensive research and soil testing before venturing into this?

I had to recently convert my snail greenhouse into a fish hatchery because of fire ant invasion.

JustCryptos:
Good luck chief. I hope you did extensive research and soil testing before venturing into this?

I had to recently convert my snail greenhouse into a fish hatchery because of fire ant invasion.

Every challenge has a solution. I will share my own tips when I get to that stage.

FatechAgro:
Every challenge has a solution. I will share my own tips when I get to that stage.

Absolutely. Good luck my brother.

Pen is taking a very good shape. Currently on the installation of the gavanised irons. This would take the next 1 week.

Also, sand filling is ongoing.

FatechAgro:
Pen is taking a very good shape. Currently on the installation of the gavanised irons. This would take the next 1 week.

Also, sand filling is ongoing.

Are you doing this for yourSelf or a Client ?

We began the net installation. Will update the completed process Next week.

bassdow:
Are you doing this for yourSelf or a Client ?

My Farm.

It's completed!

Waiting for the vegetables to grow a little before stocking.

Following.
Did you build this pen yourself or contracted it out?
I've been debating between catfish farming and Snail farming I don't know which one to take.

JJacko:
Following.
Did you build this pen yourself or contracted it out?
I've been debating between catfish farming and Snail farming I don't know which one to take.

Catfish

JustCryptos:
Catfish

I guess because snail can be invaded by fire ants? But cost-to-profit ratio of snail is higher from my calculations, also less maintenance, less startup capital is needed. Getting a ready market might be an issue though.

JJacko:
I guess because snail can be invaded by fire ants? But cost-to-profit ratio of snail is higher from my calculations, also less maintenance, less startup capital is needed. Getting a ready market might be an issue though.

I ran both businesses side-by-side. So, this is first hand info "based on my experience."

Timeline: It takes snails 12-18 months to reach large sizes. I used to have customers that insist on buying only jumbo sizes. However, you can achieve sellable sizes in 8 months.

Fish, on the other hand, can be sold off in 3 months as melange or 5-6 months as table sizes.

Given these timelines, a lot of things can go wrong in one year as opposed to 3 months or even 6 months. If you have the funds to sustain you through this period, go for it.

Cost: There's no arguing the fact that it's more expensive to raise fish. The cost of fish feed is super expensive. For context, at current market prices, you'll spend over 2M to raise 1,000 pieces of catfish to 1kg sizes. On the flip side, it wouldn't cost the same amount to raise snails.

I've seen people selling the idea of just build a greenhouse and leave your snails to reproduce and mature. That's nonsense. You'd have to complement with formulated feed for the best results. Also, there's zero accountability in this method. Staff can rip you off and you wouldn't know.

Sales: Which do you think is more marketable? Fish or snails? Although, my buyers bought in several hundreds, I had to do a lot of marketing to get them. You may not be able to sell to market women, especially during the dry season. They'd rather buy from those that pick in the bush. So, you need to invest heavily on marketing.
However, you may have seen videos of using every part of the snails - slime (blue blood) and shell (calcium).

Fish can be easily sold. In December, it took a single market woman to clear my farm, even though I still consider myself a small time farmer.

There are several other pros and cons but I'll stop here. I'm not against snail farming, I ran it successfully for about a year on a small scale before expanding. But I'll choose fish farming over it again and again.

PS: My snail farm has been converted to a catfish hatchery.

JustCryptos:
I ran both businesses side-by-side. So, this is first hand info "based on my experience."

Timeline: It takes snails 12-18 months to reach large sizes. I used to have customers that insist on buying only jumbo sizes. However, you can achieve sellable sizes in 8 months.

Fish, on the other hand, can be sold off in 3 months as melange or 5-6 months as table sizes.

Given these timelines, a lot of things can go wrong in one year as opposed to 3 months or even 6 months. If you have the funds to sustain you through this period, go for it.

Cost: There's no arguing the fact that it's more expensive to raise fish. The cost of fish feed is super expensive. For context, at current market prices, you'll spend over 2M to raise 1,000 pieces of catfish to 1kg sizes. On the flip side, it wouldn't cost the same amount to raise snails.

I've seen people selling the idea of just build a greenhouse and leave your snails to reproduce and mature. That's nonsense. You'd have to complement with formulated feed for the best results. Also, there's zero accountability in this method. Staff can rip you off and you wouldn't know.

Sales: Which do you think is more marketable? Fish or snails? Although, my buyers bought in several hundreds, I had to do a lot of marketing to get them. You may not be able to sell to market women, especially during the dry season. They'd rather buy from those that pick in the bush. So, you need to invest heavily on marketing.
However, you may have seen videos of using every part of the snails - slime (blue blood) and shell (calcium).

Fish can be easily sold. In December, it took a single market woman to clear my farm, even though I still consider myself a small time farmer.

There are several other pros and cons but I'll stop here. I'm not against snail farming, I ran it successfully for about a year on a small scale before expanding. But I'll choose fish farming over it again and again.

PS: My snail farm has been converted to a catfish hatchery.

Hmm. Many thanks for the info. Experience is the best teacher.
Have you tried the filteration/aeration/biodegradable system that's supposed to minimize water usage? Or is it all another 'promise and fail'?

JJacko:
Hmm. Many thanks for the info. Experience is the best teacher.
Have you tried the filteration/aeration/biodegradable system that's supposed to minimize water usage? Or is it all another 'promise and fail'?

I saw an implementation of the filtration system in 2014. It was eventually scrapped because it relied on power 24/7. Even with the system in places, the water began to smell after a few days.

Aeration is good and can be incorporated into any of the systems. I run a 24/7 flow-through for my hatchery and the traditional model of changing water every 2 days in my grow out section.

Op good job. It is inspiring. Have you stocked it and how is it going?

Sorry I haven't updated this thread in a while.

Its a wide farm now. Happy to share my success!

New generations.

Old stocks

More new hashed snails

where did you get your snails? i need AA and the other one.

FatechAgro:
Sorry I haven't updated this thread in a while.

Its a wide farm now. Happy to share my success!

Op, I'm so inspired by your journey and have been thinking about this for a while. Can I chat you up could you give me some please as to how to start? I have a location I can use in Ogun State and I really need to stop procrastinating. I will appreciate your input please.