CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Does anyone know where to farm snails?

No one farms snails because their market value is not high and farming them would result in a loss. In addition, there are huge numbers of snails in natural water bodies and there is no need to farm them.

You just need to put a certain number of fresh snails into the water, and as long as the water is not polluted, you can wait for the harvest.

Snail meat is delicious and nutritious. It has become a high-quality aquatic product loved by people. The market price is stable, and the larger the size, the higher the price. According to analysis, every 100 grams of snail meat contains 18.2 grams of protein, 0.6 grams of fat, 354 milligrams of phosphorus, 214 milligrams of calcium, 22 milligrams of iron, 20.4 milligrams of vitamin B and rich vitamin A. It is a high-protein, low-fat delicacy that also has the functions of improving eyesight, clearing heat and diuresis. Farming snails in rice fields can not only increase rice production, but also produce a large number of high-quality commercial snails. It has low investment and high efficiency. It is a good way for rural areas to quickly increase income and get rich.

1. Biological characteristics of river snails

1. Classification and distribution. In animal taxonomy, field snails belong to the family Snailidae, class Gastropoda, phylum Mollusca. The genus Snail is one of the four genera of the family Snailidae. Common species with high economic value include: Chinese round field snail, Chinese round field snail, swollen-bellied round field snail, long spiral round field snail and Ussuri round field snail. Among them, the Chinese round field snail is distributed in North my country, the Yellow River Plain and the Yangtze River Basin. It is large in size and grows fast, making it most suitable for artificial breeding.

2. Living habits. The snail likes to live in water bodies that are warm in winter and cool in summer, with soft and fertile soil and abundant bait. The most suitable growth temperature is 20-28℃. When the water temperature is below 15℃, it will dig holes to hide and hibernate. When the water temperature is above 30℃, it will burrow into the mud to avoid the heat. The snail is omnivorous. In natural waters, it feeds on aquatic organisms and decaying organic matter. Under artificial breeding conditions, it feeds on rice bran, wheat bran, vegetable cakes, bean dregs, vegetable leaves, duckweed, animal carcasses and scraps, etc.

3. Reproduction habits. The snails are dioecious, with females larger than males. They generally reach sexual maturity after one winter and are ovoviviparous. The breeding season is from March to October each year, with the peak of reproduction in spring and autumn. They produce young snails in batches, with 20 to 50 in each batch. Each female snail produces 100 to 200 young snails per year.

4. Growth characteristics. Young snails born early in natural conditions can grow to 6-8 grams in the same year, and can reach 12-15 grams in artificial breeding. Especially in the first 3-4 months, the growth is fast, and then gradually slows down. The lifespan of female field snails is generally 2-3 years, and males are 4-5 years.

2. Rice field project for snail farming

1. Rice selection. Rice fields used for snail farming require sufficient water sources and good water quality. They should not dry up in drought or flood in waterlogging. The soil should be fertile and free of cold soaking. They should be sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, and have good water retention. There are no strict requirements for the shape of the rice fields, and the area can be large or small. Rice fields for snail farming should be planted with short-stalked and lodging-resistant rice varieties.

2. Rice field engineering before stocking. Mainly, the ridges are heightened and reinforced to a height and width of more than 50 cm to prevent escape, and the water storage depth is 30 cm. Anti-escape fences (nets) are set at the inlet and outlet. According to the size of the field, dig a square, + or well-shaped field ditch in the field, with a ditch depth and width of 30-40 cm. In addition, it is necessary to dig snail collection pits. The snail collection pit has a water storage depth of 60-80 cm, which is generally rectangular or square. One or more pits are set according to the size of the field. The total area of ​​the pit accounts for about 1/10 of the entire rice field area, and the pit is generally close to the edge of the ridge. At the same time, the ditches are connected, the ditches and pits are connected, and the bottom of the ditch is inclined towards the pit. The purpose of digging ditches and pits is to provide snails with shelter from heat and cold in hot or cold winter, and to collect snails when harvesting rice fields. Before excavating the rice fields for the first time to raise snails, 50 kg of quicklime slurry per mu should be evenly sprayed over the entire field for disinfection. At the same time, 300-500 kg of fermented pig and cow manure should be applied per mu of rice field, and ditches and pits should be dug after plowing.

3. Farming snails

1. Preparations should be made before releasing snails. First, if the rice fields have not been fertilized with basal fertilizer, basal fertilizer should be applied to improve the water quality. Second, the rice fields should be disinfected with quicklime or bleaching powder. Third, anti-escape fences (nets) should be set up at the inlet and outlet. For the first time to raise snails and the rice fields have been disinfected and basal fertilizers have been applied when the rice fields were excavated, snails can be released directly after the seedlings turn green. Before releasing, a small number of snails should be released to test whether the medicinal properties in the water have disappeared.

2. Selection of snail species. It is best to collect snail species from rice fields, canals, fish ponds, etc., of course, you can also purchase them from the market, but you must ensure the quality when purchasing, otherwise the survival rate of breeding will be low. There are many varieties of snails, and you should choose to breed Chinese round field snails. The main requirements are: the individual is large, the shell surface is intact and not damaged, the snail body quickly retracts into the shell when startled, so that the operculum can tightly cover the shell mouth, and the snail body is free of parasites such as leeches.

3. Stocking time. The snails should be stocked in batches or all at once from March to October. However, considering the survival rate, it is best to avoid stocking during the hot summer.

4. Stocking density: Stock 5,000-10,000 snails weighing more than 10 grams per mu, or stock a larger number of smaller snails.

4. Feeding and Management

1. Feeding. The artificial feeding bait mainly includes rice bran, wheat bran, vegetable cake, bean dregs, vegetable leaves, duckweed and animal scraps. No feeding is allowed when the water temperature is below 15℃. The water temperature is 20-28℃, which is the optimal growth temperature for field snails, and a large amount of feeding is required. Feeding is done once a day, in the morning or evening. The feeding point must be fixed, the number of feeding points should be more, and they should be evenly distributed in the field to form a feeding field and reduce the waste of bait. The amount of feeding is determined by checking the last feeding situation in the feeding field. If the bait in the feeding field is eaten up, the amount of feeding should be appropriately increased, and the amount of bait should be reduced if there is any left. After observing the reproduction of the mother snail, the feeding bait particles must be very small. At the same time, it is best to add ingredients such as eggs, turtle feed or eel feed to the bait so that the young snails can eat nutritious and sufficient bait.

2. Topdressing and regulating water quality. The water body is the direct living environment of the snails. It is required that the water quality is relatively fertile, there are many planktons, and the dissolved oxygen is rich. The oxygen content is above 3.5 mg/L. The water depth during the breeding period is generally about 10 cm. If the temperature is too high or too low, the water depth can be appropriately increased or decreased to regulate. The topdressing varieties can be organic fertilizers such as biogas slurry and fermented pig, chicken and duck manure, or chemical fertilizers such as urea. However, no matter which type of fertilizer is used, it should be applied in small amounts and multiple times. According to the difference in water quality, the amount of organic fertilizer is 50-100 kg each time, and the amount of chemical fertilizer is 0.5-1 kg each time. When the water quality is poor, there is a lack of oxygen or the water temperature is too high, new water should be added in time to prevent the death of the snails. The amount of water changed each time is 1/4 to 1/2, which should not be too large. In the hot summer, the water temperature is high, the water quality is easily deteriorated and lacks oxygen, so it should be changed frequently. In early spring and late autumn, the water temperature is low, and the number of water changes can be reduced.

3. Prevent escape. Snails often escape from water inlets and outlets and water-filled ridges. Check the fences (nets) regularly to see if they are damaged. During rainstorms, pay attention to clearing the drainage outlets to prevent the fields from being overfilled with water or even the collapse of the ridges.

4. Prevent diseases. From the observation of breeding practice, except for calcium deficiency, soft shell, poor shell growth and leech disease, snails generally have no other diseases. Frequently pouring quicklime water into the field can eliminate calcium deficiency of snails. If leeches are found, trapping them with straw soaked in pig blood has a good effect. The main enemies of snails are ducks, waterfowl and mice. Especially ducks should be prevented from entering the field. In addition, it is not suitable to raise fish such as green carp, carp, tilapia and crucian carp in snail fields. Because they also eat snails.

5. Overwintering. Before winter, the snails should be bred to be strong. After winter, the water depth must be increased to more than 30 cm to keep warm. Some straw can also be put into the field to allow the snails to overwinter under the grass.

5. Correctly handle the contradiction between snail farming and rice planting

Farming snails in rice fields can make the best use of their strengths, avoid their weaknesses, tap the potential of rice fields, and greatly improve operating efficiency. It is a good ecological farming model. Of course, there are some contradictions between farming snails and growing rice, which need to be properly handled:

1. Conflict with ploughing and transplanting. When raising snails for the first time, you should first plow the field, then dig a snail pit, and then transplant the rice and release the snails. For rice fields where snails have been raised, try to lure the snails to the snail pit before harrowing. The pit and the field are separated by a mud ridge to prevent mud and water from entering the pit during harrowing. After transplanting the rice, the field water will return to green, and then the mud ridge between the pit and the field will be removed to allow the snails to move back to the field.

2. Conflict with fertilization. Rice fertilization should adhere to the principle of organic fertilizer as the main fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer as the auxiliary fertilizer, basal fertilizer as the main fertilizer and topdressing as the auxiliary fertilizer. At the same time, fertilization must be applied in small amounts and multiple times. It is not advisable to apply a large amount of basal fertilizer to the rice fields where snails have been raised. The main method of fertilizing rice is topdressing.

3. Conflict with pesticide application. Use high-efficiency and low-toxic pesticides, such as dimethoate, tricyclazole, carbendazim, and jinggangmycin, to prevent and kill rice pests and diseases. Spray water-based pesticides on rice leaves after the dew has dried on a sunny day, with the sprayer nozzle facing upwards. Spray powdered pesticides on rice leaves on a sunny day before the dew has dried. Before applying pesticides, the water depth of the rice field can be appropriately increased to reduce the concentration of pesticides entering the water. At the same time, the total amount of pesticides used in the whole field can be calculated and controlled based on the safe concentration of different pesticides for field snails and the volume of water in the field.

4. Conflict with drying the rice fields. When the rice is tillering, the rice fields need to be dried for a short period of time. At this time, the water can be drained slowly to introduce the snails into the ditches and pits for breeding.

5. Conflict with rice harvesting. Just like drying the fields, first introduce snails into ditches and pits for breeding, and then harvest the rice after the fields are dried and air-dried. If harvesting early rice, a shade shed must be built over the snail collection pit and part of the ditch to prevent the snails from being killed by the scorching sun and excessive water temperature.

6. Harvesting snails

When the snails grow to a larger size of about 10 grams, they can be caught and put on the market. The fishing and sales should be staggered with the breeding season of the snails, so that the big ones are caught and the small ones and enough parent snails are left to continue breeding. The snails are the most plump and the price is the highest in autumn, which is the best time for efficient sales.