Reproduction of grape snails at home. Selection of site and soil structure. Growing up on a farm

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(see photo in the text) is part of the Helicidae family, which includes more than 300 genera of terrestrial mollusks. The Helix genus is one of the most widespread. These snails live in Australia and temperate countries, including southern Russia.

In nature, grape snails prefer to settle in meadows, in small degraded forests with dense ground cover vegetation, in gardens with chalk or limestone soil that has an alkaline reaction. In dry weather, snails hide under stones, in the shade of plants or in damp moss.

The winter dormant period of the grape snail lasts up to 3 months. Under the natural conditions of Belarus - at least 5 months, while mollusks with a period of suspended animation of less than 60 days under experimental conditions were characterized by reduced fertility or did not produce eggs at all.

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In preparation for wintering, the snail attaches itself to the substrate with the lower part of its leg - the sole - and then curls up inside the shell. Still holding on to the surface with the tip of its leg, the snail, with a film of mucus, covers the space between the surface of the substrate and the edges of the mouth of the shell, after which it removes the remaining part of the leg, covering the hole with folds of the mantle. The film hardens, turning into a hard lid.

During hibernation, the snail loses about 10% of its weight, which is restored 4-6 weeks after awakening. In the spring, when the air temperature rises to +6-8"C, the animal awakens and leaves its winter shelter. The vine snail can tolerate low temperatures, for example -7"C for several hours.

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The round, almost spherical limestone shell of the grape snail reliably protects the soft body of the mollusk from enemies. The spiral whorls of the shell are convex, their outer part is smooth. The last turn is large and swollen. The shell is colored uniformly, usually orange-yellowish. The snail's head stands out noticeably and bears two pairs of tentacles; at the tips of one of the pairs are the eyes of the mollusk.

The leg is large and muscular. The grape snail moves with the help of this leg. With the help of muscle contractions, the animal, sliding, pushes off the surface. When moving, mucus is secreted, which softens friction and facilitates movement along the substrate. The glands that secrete mucus are located in the front of the body. The average movement speed is about 1.5 mm per second. It can settle on both horizontal (for example, on the ground under a stone) and vertical (on the walls of buildings, on the side glass of a molluscar at home) surface.

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Natural enemies Snails include hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, moles and some other animals. They are also various types of beetles that can crawl inside through the breathing hole, and some types of predatory snails. This animal is the enemy Agriculture, primarily because it feeds on young shoots of agricultural crops, in particular grapes. In a number of countries it is intensively exterminated, and in some, in particular the countries of Northern and South America, the import of these shellfish is prohibited.

Grape snails have been bred since ancient times. According to Pliny the Elder, Fulvius Lippinus was the first to breed them. Now in a number of countries there are so-called “snail farms”, where these gastropods are bred in large quantities for subsequent preparation or export, creating favorable conditions for them.

Their meat contains 10% protein, 30% fat, 5% carbohydrates, as well as vitamins B6, B12, iron, calcium, magnesium. The air-dry substance of grape snail meat, according to the Institute of Fisheries of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, contains 60-65% protein, about 5% fat, the rest is low-molecular organic matter and mineral compounds - ash.

In Spain, France and Italy, these mollusks are often eaten. In France they are cooked in the shell in vegetable oil, seasoned with parsley. It is believed that its taste is superior to that of other edible snails. In France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, it is considered rare and protected by law, it is imported from Greece and other countries where it is collected, or specially bred on farms. Even in Russia Kaliningrad region, snails are quite widely bred for sale to restaurants, for the pharmaceutical industry, and for sale in stores.

Grape snail - content.

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IN Lately Some hobbyists began to keep more “exotic” animals, such as invertebrates, in their home terrariums instead of the now familiar amphibians or reptiles.

Grape snails are herbivores, feed mainly on living plants, causing significant damage to them. Decaying vegetation makes up only a small part of their diet. The diet of grape snails in captivity can be limited to vegetables and fruits, which must be added to the terrarium as they are eaten. Mollusks have a very long digestive tract and rarely suffer from lack of appetite. Food should be given in small portions, cut into thin slices, and rotting, decomposing food should be removed immediately. Grape snails love bananas, apples, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, radishes, cabbage, beets, dandelion leaves, sorrel, horseradish, burdock and nettle leaves. A special treat for snails is soaked bread, but it is more suitable as a feed.

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For keeping at home, a glass or plastic container with a large bottom area and good ventilation can be used. At the bottom place a mixture of damp (not wet, since the snails can drown) earth and granular activated carbon in a ratio of 6.5:1. Constant cleaning of glass, walls and other objects from mucus is necessary. Recommended daytime temperature is 20-22"C, nighttime - 19"C. When the temperature drops below 7"C, the snails hibernate.

The terrarium is equipped in such a way as to recreate natural living conditions. You can decorate it with green twigs or living plants, on which the snails will crawl and, if desired, can feast on them. And don’t forget to provide a shallow pond for them to swim in. It would be nice to build a limestone slide, which will provide the snails with the nutrition they need to strengthen their shells. You can also add some damp moss to the terrarium. The terrarium must be tightly covered with a lid to prevent snails from crawling out, but it must contain small holes for air to enter. It is important to constantly moisten the habitat of grape snails; this can be achieved by spraying internal surfaces terrarium from a spray bottle once or twice a day.

Grape snail - breeding.

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Grape snails are hermaphrodites, therefore, for breeding at home, it is enough to have two mature individuals. The desire to mate can be determined by behavior. The animal crawls slowly, as if looking for something, often stops and stands in one place for a long time, slightly raising the front part of its body. If two such snails meet, they immediately begin to " love game"They stretch upward one against the other and take a position characteristic of reproduction, touching parts of the sole, and feeling each other with tentacles. These movements stop after a short time, the snails fall and, pressing their soles tightly against each other, remain motionless for 15-30 minutes. After a period of rest, the game resumes again. This whole process lasts about two hours, until the snail, having achieved greater arousal, inserts a love arrow into the body of its partner, which also increases his arousal. After a short pause, the act of copulation occurs, in which each snail simultaneously plays the role of both male and female. Only after the exchange of spermatophores do the snails spread out in different directions.

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To breed grape snails on an industrial scale, a temperate climate of 15–24 degrees Celsius with high humidity (75%–95%) is required, although most species can withstand a wider temperature range. The optimal temperature for many species is 21C. At 12C, snails become inactive, and at 10C, they stop growing. When the temperature rises to just over 26 C or conditions become too dry, the animals hibernate.

Wind is also harmful to them because it accelerates the loss of moisture, and mollusks must retain it, they need moisture environment. But although snails need high humidity, it is necessary to remove excess water. Snails breathe atmospheric air and can die in an overly humid environment. The most favorable soil moisture level is 80%. At night, air humidity of more than 80% enhances the vital activity and growth of snails.

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After mating, the grape snail can retain spermatophores for a year. To lay eggs, she digs a hole or uses natural shelters (the base of plant stems). After a hole of the required depth has been dug, the snail begins to carefully finish the walls of the nest. They are compacted and the soil is released through the intestines to the surface. The clutch contains about 40 pearly white, shiny eggs (diameter 4-7 mm). After finishing the masonry, the hole is filled up.

After the breeding season, about one third of the producers die. The laid eggs hatch into small snails that look very similar to adults. Young snails have a small, smooth, transparent shell with only one and a half turns. After 8-10 days, young snails leave the nest and crawl to the surface in search of food. Under favorable conditions, snails grow very quickly - within a month they can become four times larger than at birth. Of all snails born, only about 5% reach sexual maturity.

Cooking grape snails.

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Well, for a snack, here are a couple of recipes for preparing grape snails. The result should be approximately the same as in the photo.

Snails in Burgundy style

100 snails, 1 liter of white wine, 200 g of three percent vinegar, 3 tbsp. tablespoons flour, 2 carrots, 2 large onions, parsley, Bay leaf, thyme, salt, 800 g snail oil.

Place the prepared grape snails in a saucepan, add cold water, bring to a boil and boil for 5-6 minutes. Rinse them with cold water, dry them with a clean cloth or towel, remove the snail from the house with a tailor’s pin (in France there is a special “tool for this”, it resembles a tailor’s pin) and cut off its black tip. Wash the snails cleaned in this way again and put them in a saucepan, pour in dry white wine and the same amount of water so that all the snails are covered with liquid. Add 2 chopped carrots, chopped onions, thyme, parsley root, celery stick, green onions. Add salt at the rate of 10 g per liter and cook for 4 hours. Then remove from heat and leave to cool in this broth. While the snails are boiling, wash and boil the shells in soda water. Then rinse them clean water and dry.

Snail oil: chop very finely (you can grate) 100 g of onion, 3 large cloves of garlic, add 80 g of chopped parsley, 25 g of salt, 5 g of ground pepper, 700 g of butter, soft but not melted. Mix everything well in a bowl.

Place a nut of prepared oil on the bottom of the sink, then a snail, covering the top with a good portion of the same oil. Place the stuffed shells, oil side up, on a plate and place them in a hot oven for 7-8 minutes before serving. Serve the sizzling, aromatic dish immediately.

Limousin snails

6 dozen Burgundy snails, 1 glass of vinegar, 300 g of peeled walnuts, 200 g of butter, 1 clove of garlic, several sprigs of parsley, salt, pepper.

For the broth: 0.5 liters of dry white wine, 1 carrot, 1 onion, bay leaf, celery, parsley, salt, pepper.

Dip the grape snails, prepared in advance, as indicated above, into water acidified with vinegar. During this time, peel 1 carrot and onion, chop them, and prepare the greens. Now put them in a spacious saucepan, pour in white wine and water so that they are completely covered. Salt and pepper, add chopped carrots and onions, herbs and cook for 3-4 hours. While they are boiling, prepare snail oil, for which you peel the nuts and garlic, wash the parsley, chop everything finely; pass the rye bread crumb through a meat grinder; butter put in a bowl, add chopped nuts and other herbs and bread crumbs, pepper and mix everything well to get a homogeneous mass. When the snails are cooked, drain the broth, remove the snails from their shells with a pin, and cut off the black dots on the tip of their body. Stuff the shells in the same way as in the previous recipe: put a piece of snail oil the size of a nut on the bottom of the shell, then a snail and, finally, another piece of prepared butter.

Place the stuffed snails in a refractory dish, oil side up, add a few drops of white wine to each of them and place in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

How to organize snail farming and turn it into a highly profitable business with an annual profit of more than €10,000. Detailed description snail breeding technologies, product features and effective methods sales of snails to the domestic and foreign markets.

Growing snails for sale is a very unconventional and unique business for Russia and the CIS as a whole. The national cuisines of the countries of the former USSR do not include such an ingredient as snail meat in the recipe. Therefore, the demand for it is not as great as in Europe.

However, such a business has several significant advantages: there is practically no minimum investment at the start and the opportunity to enter the European market.

The snails themselves, when grown, are unpretentious and do not require much effort or time from the entrepreneur. It is enough to prepare a habitat for them and regularly perform simple actions. Read about everything in detail below.

Product Features

To start a snail farming business, you need to have at least general ideas about these shellfish and their value, which lies in the meat itself.

Snail meat has the following features:

• Does not contain cholesterol.
• 2/3 consists of useful microelements and high-quality protein.
• It has such a feature as a rejuvenating effect, which has a positive effect on the human body.
• Snail meat is healthier than poultry meat (chicken, turkey, etc.).

These shellfish are now actively eaten in Spain, France and almost every European country. Even in Russia, you can find delicious dishes on restaurant menus, the main ingredient of which is snail meat.

Mollusks are also used in medicine - they carry out skin rejuvenating procedures, make medicines and other medicines.

Organizational aspects

To properly organize a future business you will need:

• Register as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur (2 10.20) and register with the tax office.
• Open a current account in any bank to receive Money from future sales.
• Obtain from the veterinary department all the necessary permits for the cultivation and further sale of snails.
• Purchase or rent land (if you do not own it) for a future farm.
• Organize one room for young animals and one for queens.
• Purchase boxes that will be needed for the sale and transportation of shellfish.
• Separately buy ditches for laying eggs and young animals.
• Build an enclosure with a roof for young animals on a plot of land.
• Buy a snail.
• Stock up on dry milk, chalk, herbs and mixed feed (this will be the main food for shellfish).
• Install racks for snails in the premises.

The area of ​​future premises depends on the capacity of the farm. That is, it is necessary to determine in advance how many snails will be sold during the growing season.

For example, for 1 ton of snails you will need a room of 18 m2 and 4 m2, as well as an enclosure of up to 400 m2. The calculations should include the necessary feed - 2 kg of feed for 40 animals. That is, feed should be calculated based on the formula 1 kg per 20 shellfish.

To get 1 ton of products, it is necessary to purchase or collect more than 700 adult queens at the start. Each queen snail lays up to 60 eggs per year. That is, 700 snails will produce up to 42,000 eggs. From such an increase you can get more than 1 ton of mollusks. Which in monetary terms is more than €2,000 - €3,000 (in cooperation with foreign buyers at a price of €2-€3 per 1 kg) or 500,000 - 1,000,000 rubles. (in cooperation with domestic buyers at a price of 500-1000 rubles per 1 kg). However, these prices are conditional, since each entrepreneur independently regulates his pricing policy.

Snails reproduce very quickly. They are hermaphrodites. Up to 60 eggs are laid at a time. And it takes mollusks a couple of months to grow.

From the TV show “I am an Entrepreneur”

You must remember that before you start selling snails, some of them will have to be sent to a veterinary laboratory, which will decide whether the grown shellfish should be allowed for sale or not, and will issue the appropriate certificates.

Snail breeding technology

The process of breeding snails is as simple as...

Each pair is placed in a separate mating container. There is no need to sort through individuals, since snails are hermaphroditic creatures. But it is still necessary to separate them at the initial stage.

Snails begin to reproduce after they emerge from hibernation. This moment occurs in the spring - from March to May.

After the snails lay their eggs, they can be returned to the common enclosure. And the eggs themselves are sent for storage to an incubator and placed in pre-prepared cuvettes. A new brood of snails will appear in about 1.5 months.

Young animals and other pets must be constantly monitored so that they are not attacked by “enemies” - moles, hedgehogs, worms, snakes, etc. And you must remember that over time the snails must be transplanted into another container, and the old one must be cleaned at this time.

Snails mature within 1.5 years. That is, after mating in the spring, the individuals will become adults by the end of the summer of next year.

As for the organization of the habitat, in the summer you can make a special enclosure with a grass height of no more than 10 cm. In order not to trample or spoil the snails when walking in the enclosure, it is necessary to lay wooden pallets with one leg. You can safely walk on them, and the snails will hide under them from the heat, since air temperatures above 25-30 degrees are unbearable even for mollusks.

Snails love moisture. Therefore, they must always be kept moist. In the morning, afternoon and evening, you need to water all the time so that the snails have moisture.

Sergey Balaev - entrepreneur, farmer

Sales market

Sales are the biggest sore point of snail breeding entrepreneurs. After all, such products are in little demand in Russia and the CIS, but you want to recoup all costs as quickly as possible and make a good profit.

First, you should negotiate the supply of snails with restaurant chains. Nowadays, many similar establishments practice preparing gourmet dishes and delicacies. And the overwhelming number of restaurants will most likely agree to the purchase. After all, the price of a local entrepreneur is much cheaper than that of foreign suppliers.

It would also be a good idea to contact pharmaceutical companies, since they also need supplies of snails, which are used for cosmetic purposes and more.

But still, the best and most profitable sales option is to arrange supplies of snails to European factories. The demand in Europe for this product is very high, as are purchasing prices. Therefore, it is optimal to consider only this market as the most profitable. Although you should not ignore the above-described sales options.

I export to factories in Romania and Poland, which process 200-300 tons per season. These factories produce semi-finished products, then large retail companies in Western Europe buy from them and make the finished product.

Vilen Chebotar - entrepreneur

How much can you earn?

It was already mentioned above how much you can get from 1 ton of snails. And it becomes clear that you can make good money only by entering the European market, where the price for 1 kg of snails is about €5. While in Russia this price is much lower.

Most likely, foreign partners will be careful with the new supplier. But you can still count on a price of €2 per 1 kg. Even selling snails at this price, the business will pay back in 1.5 years, which is not bad for such a non-standard activity. As a result, the entrepreneur will receive €2000 from 1 ton of snails.

That is, growing snails is a good family business option for those who live in a country house or have a plot of land. The initial capital is minimal, and the return is more than good. Moreover, every year you can increase the scale of the enterprise and achieve a profit of €10,000.

Snail farming- that's pretty profitable business, but not everyone knows this. The lack of information about their beneficial qualities accompanies this. You can learn how to turn an ordinary snail into real money from this article.

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The beneficial properties of snails have not been fully studied, but they already have a considerable list of positive aspects:

1. Vitaminization of the body. Vitamin A, B, PP, E, K - this is what snail meat is simply teeming with.
2. Useful for pregnant women. Well restores calcium metabolism.
3. Use in cosmetology. Creams and serums made from snail secretions are very beneficial for the skin, as they are ideally compatible with its structure.
4. Pets. You can use snails as pets.
5. Treatment. Snail mucus is very effective for inflammation, burns, and warts.
6. Cosmetology. Snail mucus can even out complexion, heal microcracks and even increase the elasticity of connective tissue.
7. Diet. It can be used as a dietary product for weight loss, due to the absence of cholesterol in meat and the presence of amino acids in large quantities.
8. Aphrodisiac. Men who eat snails notice an increase in potency.

Choosing the type of snail to grow

The choice of snails depends on where a person can keep them.

Each type requires certain conditions life:

1. Achatina. They are grown in glass aquariums, in which several holes must be made to allow fresh air to enter. It should also have a lid.
2. Grape snails. They need to be grown in gardens or terrariums. They need space at the rate of 30 square centimeters per individual.
3. Ampularia snail. They can even be kept in an aquarium with fish, of course, if the fish do not eat shellfish. It is necessary that in the aquarium, in addition to water, there are several centimeters of air space. One medium-sized snail requires about ten liters of water.

Starting a business

Before you start a snail business, you need to be patient and make sure that these mollusks do not disgust you.

So where to start:

1. Select the type of snail to breed.
2. Arrange living conditions for her.
3. Purchase broodstock. About fifty snails.
4. Make sure there is somewhere to supply the snails. This could be a restaurant, pharmacy or cosmetology business.
5. Learn to care for them.
6. In order to have a sales market, it is advisable to register your business.

Registration

Any business requires registration.

In order to pass it you need:

1. Complete the registration procedure individual entrepreneur or legal entity.To do this you need:
   • passport or other identification document;
   • a copy of the identification code;
   • receipt of payment of state duty;
   • application for the creation of an individual entrepreneur;
   • certificate of application of the simplified taxation system;
2. Obtain permission to breed and sell snails from the veterinary service. The service must ensure that all necessary conditions are in place for the breeding and subsequent sale of shellfish.

Room

Depending on the place where snails are grown and reproduced, the premises are divided into:

1. Open areas. Not all types of snails can survive in open areas, only grape snails. Achatina die when low temperatures, and grape snails simply hibernate. You need to make a terrarium at your summer cottage or in the garden. You can use a fine mesh for this. Inside should be:
   • plants with a height of 15-20 cm, on which snails are planted for subsequent fertilization; clover, legumes, Jerusalem artichoke, fodder beet, and rapeseed are suitable for this purpose.
   • food for snails and the presence of lime.
   • constant humidity.
   • canopy from the sun, because shellfish will not survive direct sunlight.
2. Despite the fact that snails are not whimsical, you need to create the maximum possible good conditions for living indoors:
   • good ventilation;
   • humidity not less than 90%;
   • for grape snails, the optimal air temperature is 22-24 degrees.
   • for Achatina 25-30 degrees.
   • stability of temperature and humidity must always be maintained; sudden changes can harm any type of snail;
3. Mixed breeding. In this type, mating, laying eggs and growing young are carried out indoors, and further existence occurs in an open area.

Equipment

1. Aquarium with lid. You need to make several holes in it to allow fresh air to enter. The size should be such that each individual has about 30 cm of free space.
2. Wood chips and soil. They must be free of debris. The bottom of the aquarium is lined with this mixture.
3. Containers for food and water. They must be without sharp edges so that the snail is not injured.
4. Stones or plastic. The shelter is made from these materials. You can also purchase ready-made shelters at a pet store.
5. Thick tree branch. The best option for decorating an aquarium.
6. Water. For bathing a snail.
7. Spray. To maintain humidity.

Adult Achatina snail

This mollusk consists of soft body and the shell, which is her “home” and reliable protection. It has two pairs of tentacles. The eyes are located on the upper tentacles, and the organs of smell and taste are located on the lower ones. The sink is approximately 45 mm high and 47 mm wide.

They have an almost round shape. The snail moves with the help of its leg, sliding it along the surface due to muscle contractions, which pass in waves along the foot. At the same time, a lot of mucus is released, which helps to move on uneven surfaces. The grape snail widely lives in the Middle and Southern Europe, in Western Asia and North Africa.

They are thermophilic and can be found in deciduous forests, bushes, near settlements. Their lifespan ranges from 6 to 8 years, but they can live up to 12.

Achatina snails are gigantic. Their shell can reach 19 centimeters and weigh up to 400 grams. Their homeland is Africa, in Europe they can only survive at home and if all the rules are followed.

All snails are nocturnal inhabitants.

Feed

You should not give meat to snails; for them it is heavy food.

It would be advisable to give food to snails in the evening or at night, while they are awake.

Her diet may include the following foods:

1. Vegetables:
   • cucumbers and tomatoes;
   • Bell pepper;
   • pumpkin and zucchini;
   • cauliflower and Chinese cabbage;
   • lettuce leaves;
   • dill and parsley;
2. Legumes:
   • beans;
   • peas;
   • beans;
3. Fruits:
   • watermelon and melon;
   • cherries and sweet cherries;
   • pears and apples;
   • pears and apples;
   • peaches and nectarines;
   • pineapples;
   • plums;
   • kiwi;

Additionally, this can cause predatory behavior in the snail, which can affect smaller snails.

To strengthen the shell, it is necessary to saturate the snail’s body with calcium. To do this, you can give them natural chalk (not from stationery stores) as food. A lot of calcium is found in eggshells. It needs to be washed well, dried and ground into powder, which needs to be added to the soil.

The most important thing for a snail is water. She won't survive without her. She needs it not only for drinking, but also for bathing.

Fried, spicy, sweet and salty foods should not be given to snails under any circumstances. Salt is certain death for them.

Sales of products

Selling snails is perhaps the most difficult part in this business.

First you need to figure out who needs them and why and who is willing to pay for them:

1. Cafes and restaurants. Snails are very a healthy delicacy and are valued by gourmets for their unique taste. You can make deliveries in your city or abroad. The main consumers of snail meat are the French. You can contact restaurants and cafes through feedback via the Internet or telephone. They mainly buy frozen products, so you can distinguish yourself by supplying fresh snails. Snail caviar is also very valuable, it is much more expensive than red and black caviar and is called white caviar.
2. Wholesale sales. Perhaps someone has already established a sales market, so you can sell them in large quantities to these people.
3. Sales to manufacturers medicines and aphrodisiacs. Snail mucus has medicinal properties. Potency enhancing products are made on their basis. It is also added to medications to treat the respiratory system.
4. Sale for breeding. People who also want to start breeding snails can sell broodstocks.

Breeding technology

To breed snails, you must first create favorable conditions for reproduction:

• temperature 15-24 degrees;
• humidity 80-85%;
• lack of wind;

For successful breeding you need:

1. Recruit broodstock. You need to choose the largest snails. About 50 pieces are enough.
2. Form pens for laying eggs. This should happen indoors, since snail eggs love to be eaten by various insects. The depth of the masonry is about 4 centimeters, this must be taken into account when forming the bottom.
3. Pens for keeping grape snails.
4. Feeding the snails and watering the pens.
5. Collection and sales.

Grape snails and Achatina are hermaphrodites (have two genital organs), so for mating it is enough to plant two mature snails (2-3 years old) together. Reproduction occurs after hibernation, that is, in the spring. Mating lasts about two hours.

To lay eggs, they use depressions in the soil, and then carefully bury them. Grape snails lay an average of 40-60 eggs, Achatina - 100-300. If breeding occurs in open areas, then egg laying can occur in the opening of the plants. The entire process of oviposition is very long and can last up to 20 hours.

About 30% of snails die after laying eggs. After about a month, small snails are born from the eggs, which must be separated from the adults. At proper feeding and ensuring optimal living conditions, within a year young snails are able to give birth.

Calculation of costs and profitability

Costs and profitability are different for everyone who breeds snails.

It depends on some factors:

1. Buying broodstock or raising it yourself.
2. Forming pens with your own hands or buying ready-made ones.
3. Use of special equipment (to maintain temperature, humidity and light).

You can raise the broodstock yourself (this applies to grape snails) depending on where you live. They can be found in Australia, Southern Russia and countries with temperate climates. You can buy a ready-made one, its price is about $200 for 50 pieces. To create a full-fledged snail farm, you will need 750 snails, the cost of which will be $3,000.

Hence the conclusion is drawn that to fully start a business you need to have $3,500 for snails and 1,500 rubles per month for their maintenance. Sales of one ton of snails will cost approximately $10,000. All costs will be recouped by 150% in eight months.

If the broodstock is formed independently, you can save about $3,000.

If all the rules are followed, the snail business can become quite profitable for those who want to open it, spending a minimum of effort and receiving maximum profit.

Assessing advantages and disadvantages

From all of the above, you can easily assess the advantages and disadvantages of this business.

Pros:

1. You can start a business from scratch.
2. Minimum monthly costs.
3. Ease of breeding.
4. No special nutrition required.
5. You can breed it at your dacha.
6. Benefits of snails.
7. Possibility to combine business with main job.

Minuses:

1. Difficulties associated with finding a sales market.
2. 30% of snails die after laying eggs.
3. Possible lack of breeding space.
4. Slippery and nasty. You need to really love them or get used to them.

The snail business is not yet very widespread, so anyone who decides to do this can become successful and build a career with the help of snails. It is necessary to weigh the pros and cons so as not to regret it later, because this is a specific business.

People are always trying to imitate the skill and talent of a productively growing business, and even some ideas are objectively profitable in terms of income. Thus, breeding grape snails at home is a hot topic for those who are not afraid to take on new project. Many would like to have such a business at home, but when trying to find the right path to realizing their plans, they fail. Let's look at all aspects of this business, what pitfalls there may be, what to pay attention to.

Despite being a little-known food, snails are considered exotic and are not bought cheaply by prestigious restaurants in the country. Hence the unprecedented demand from consumers in the restaurant business, which influences the financial growth of the sellers themselves. By the way, we would like to note that only grape snails can be edible, and a dozen other species have nothing to do with food. At the initial planning stage, do your research on the snail trade. It is important to know that restaurant dishes are quite expensive, which means they are not very interesting to ordinary society and will not be in demand. Place bets only on wealthy, high-ranking people, or industrial organizations in the culinary and medical industries.

Even in this situation, invertebrates became a worthy replacement other exotic animals, for example, amphibians. This indisputable fact has a basis. Firstly, snails create a minimum of problems, they are silent, not fussy, and not harmful. Secondly, they eat only vegetation, animal feed, fruits and vegetables. And thirdly, they require minimal care compared to other domestic animals, only 1-2 hours a day.

Grape snails (French: Helix pomatia) are called “escargot” and are a soft-bodied delicacy. Very popular in countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece and France. In these countries you can find snails on the shelves of any supermarket.

What benefits do this little “horned delicacy” bring?

Therapeutic effect. Surprisingly, but true, snail meat is the basis for many industrial medicinal products. Extracts from snails for anti-aging products have become especially popular.

Culinary sphere. Snails, whose body practically consists of meat, contain a large amount of protein, vitamins (B6, B12), and iron. This delicacy enriches a person with beneficial properties. Easy meat for everyday consumption, improves performance intestinal tract, normalizes stomach functions and bone tissue. It is especially useful for men for potency, pregnant women and the elderly.

Creating a business plan

In order for your snail breeding business to begin to grow productively, the first thing you should do is understand whether it will be interesting to you, since doing what you love means not working a day. Let's make a plan:

• Make a drawing with two columns: “expenses”, “income”;
• Revenue is what you receive from clients as part of the contract program;
• Expenses - current expenses for keeping snails, purchases, probable transportation costs;
• The farmer must have appropriate land plot or a place for a terrarium;
• Consider the maturation period of snails from six months to 3 years.

Breeding grape snails attracts more and more people every year who want to have a profitable, serene farm. It’s not for nothing that this type of activity is called a business for the lazy. Let's look at the initial steps to create a full-fledged process.

Paperwork

The set of documents is small, but mandatory. First of all, register a private enterprise or limited liability company. In addition, you should obtain permission from the fire and sanitary services. The most important thing is veterinary, where a mandatory inspection document is a quality certificate. Without it, you will be prohibited from doing business or supplying shellfish to restaurants.

Main features of the purchase

One of current issues breeding is considered the price of an adult snail itself. The approximate cost of one individual is 4 dollars, in bulk this price drops, so count on 2.75-3. The initial purchase should be 300-400 pieces. Obviously, you will need at least $1,200 for the first time.

The question of which manufacturer to buy snails from is controversial; often the countries are Germany, Tunisia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The best option trust experienced suppliers who have been on the sales market for several years and can fully justify the high quality of the goods supplied. This business is more developed in Poland, so it is in this country that you can find the best quality specimens.

Solving financial issues

Financial issues arise when you just decide to create a grape snail farm. As part of the purchase you will need:

• Broodstock (700 snails) - multiply by an average of $3;
• Equipment, depending on what and where, if for a greenhouse, then in total it will cost you about $500;
• Feed - $1200;
• If you do not have your own plot, you will have to pay for the land, the amount varies depending on the owner's area.

Let's do a rough calculation. Let’s take for example one hundred square meters of land, from it you will receive 100-110 kg of finished goods. Experts say that one snail can produce an average of 1 kg of offspring. Today the price for 1 kg is 3-3.5 euros. A snail stock pays for itself in 1.5 years. During all this time, a herd of 100 kg will produce an offspring of 4 tons. This is provided that the reproduction of individuals occurs at a high level of comfort in terms of maintaining temperature and humidity.

Business profitability can reach 90%. The main criterion for achieving such a result is patience and organization. Three optimal ways breeding: pens, greenhouses, terrariums.

Often, owners of the idea to create a snail business failed due to the wrong habitat of the invertebrate stock. Today there are three known ways to keep snails at home. Let's look at each of them, what advantages and disadvantages they have.

Corrals

From an economic point of view, pens are considered more acceptable than greenhouses. But the significant disadvantages of this method obviously make it less popular. When creating an outdoor pen, know that you will need to protect the snails from predators, and the air temperature will be the first barrier to the breeding result, since weather conditions will control the temperature. And as you know, unfavorable conditions are the first reason for snails not to lay eggs, but to keep them inside until optimally favorable conditions. This method is good in the summer; in winter they sleep, making a tunnel in the ground.

Their place of residence for 700 individuals should be 50 sq.m. Be sure to fence them off with a fence, although they are slow, they will more than cover kilometer distances, and they will do this at night. The fence should not be simple; at the top there should be a concave semicircular arc that prevents snails from climbing through the fence. A good site would be land covered with vineyards or weeds.

Terrarium

The first main criteria for choosing a room are ventilation and humidity. Humidity should be approximately at least 80%. The optimal temperature regime is 20-23°C above zero. This method allows you to switch to year-round breeding of snails, although this will require costs for arranging terrariums or an entire workshop. Another important condition is the bottom of the terrarium. Be sure to take care of its thin covering of moss and soil. Now they sell special coconut shavings on the market, which will also work. Mist the soil or shavings occasionally to create moist conditions.

Although you can’t envy a snail’s speed, it can crawl out of the terrarium easily, so don’t forget to cover it with a lid. Get rid of all kinds of metal decorations and stones, since mollusks often crawl along the walls of the container and rarely, but sometimes fall down. To avoid cracks in the sink, arrange its premises with natural, non-solid objects. Refrain from littering with newspapers; snails love printed matter, which may be the last thing it eats.

Greenhouses

The advantage of this breeding method is that it is more accessible and less expensive. Greenhouse conditions make it possible to control humidity and temperature. In general, to grow snails in greenhouses you will need:

• 700 snails 2 or 3 years old;
• About 4 sq. m of greenhouse area for broodstock and another 18 sq.m. for young animals and egg incubation;
• Special boxes measuring 1x0.5 m (8 pieces are enough) for keeping adult broodstock;
• Plastic cuvettes for keeping small-sized young mollusks;
• Metal racks for ditches;
• 400 sq. m. for breeding the main herd.

To feed such a number of individuals, you will first need 1500 kg of feed. In addition to this, feeding with fresh grass is definitely necessary.

Wherever you grow snails, monitor the humidity; an excessively humid environment is associated with fungal diseases, even among ardent lovers of water treatments.

Snail breeding

Shellfish- hermaphrodites, but despite this fact, for fertilization they are placed in pairs in a special container. Mating occurs as follows: after the snails bring their soles closer together, they begin to mark each other with calcareous needles, which are located in special bag. Thanks to these “arrows,” the snail is stimulated to release reproductive products. The genital spot can be seen when the snail protrudes it outward; it has a whitish color. Is located right side second pair of horns.

After mating, sperm enters the receiver of the copulating individual, fertilization occurs later. According to reviews from experienced farmers, adult individuals are capable of laying two clutches of eggs with an interval of 2-3 months. And some mollusks after fertilization could divide the laying of eggs into several times with an interval of 1.5 months. An adult mature individual laid 30-40 pieces in one go. She needs about 4 days to completely immerse the eggs under upper layer soil. After a month, small invertebrates are born.

Typically, one individual produces about 1 kg of offspring per season.

Sales areas

The method and choice of point of sale is varied. Here are some examples of who you can sell grape snails to:

• Wholesale customers;
• Retail consumers;
• Supermarkets and large markets;
• Restaurant business;
• Pharmaceutical companies for the production of drugs.

Often, for many reasons, people rush to start breeding snails without finding any sales channels. This cannot be done, otherwise, even with a good harvest, you risk being left without a penny of profit.

Preparation for implementation in the restaurant business

Certain standards must be observed when selling snails to a restaurant. For the board to be worthy and consistent with the expected calculations, the snail should weigh about 20g (more is possible) and be 5 cm in size.

If the consumer wants to bargain with you, give in, especially if he will be a repeat customer in the future.

From the batch, by selecting, set aside the largest ones for further reproduction, and prepare the rest for sale. Once the shellfish is no longer alive, it should be frozen and only then delivered to the consumer. But there are farmers who sell live meat, so it’s rational to consider both options in detail.

Feeding grape snails

Often, the owners of a new snail farm, tempted by the low price, buy food from unscrupulous farming contractors. The breeding conditions will depend on the quality of the feed, so it is better not to skimp on food and know a good manufacturer.

Grape snails are considered pests in many countries; for all the obvious reasons from the name itself, they eat young shoots of grapes. In our homeland, you need to buy such a snail, but it feeds on greens, fruits, and vegetables. The main natural food is chalk. It contains a lot of calcium, which in turn is simply necessary for the construction of the shell. Sometimes protein supplements are necessary. Often used is daphnia, a bloodworm that is sold in pet stores and is more of a fish feeder. There are also restrictions on some products, so be careful. Here is a list of prohibited foods: citrus fruits, radishes, radishes, sorrel, eggs (in any form), onions, cheese, cottage cheese, flour products. Stale uneaten food should be changed as often as possible and prevented from rotting.

Features of the grape snail

Mollusks that love grape shoots are nocturnal inhabitants, so don’t be upset if you were expecting active movement of the herd during the day. The diameter of the shell of a mature individual is 5 cm. Snails have no teeth and eat with their tongue, which is called the radula. Before a snail can be eaten, it usually waits until it is 2 or 3 years old.

3 subtleties of reproduction at the initial stage

At the breeding stage, it is advisable to make artificial selection by selecting the largest individuals. The fact is that some snails grow unevenly, some gain weight much faster than others, which is why practicing farmers recommend selecting the largest snails. The selection of the largest individuals forms the broodstock in literally two selections.

Buy grape snails from an already production farm. Don't select based on gender because they are hermaphrodites. It is advisable that they are not small in size. Of course, the cost will depend on this, but you will have a mature individual ready for reproduction.

Profits from snails can be made not only by selling them directly to the restaurant business. There are not many breeding farms in our country. Create a service that is visited by many tourists, where you share your experience and provide cooked shellfish meat for tasting.

They say that snails were first brought to Asia by Catholic priests. By maintaining a diet of proper, vegetarian food, as well as supporting fasting, snail food has become the best option for them, since it consists of protein. A comparison is often made: five or six snails contain the same amount of protein as 100 grams. pork.

What you need to know when cooking snail

Before planning to cook a snail, it must be quarantined in order to completely clear the stomach of possible food. The first thing the cook must do is clean the shell and body of any existing contaminants; usually only mucus remains on the surface of the mollusk. Liver is not an edible food and is disposed of immediately during cleansing. The shell or shell is used as a utensil. The price of a dish in a restaurant changes taking into account the dynamic increase in the cost of importing the snails themselves, but for approximately six pieces ready-made dish you will pay about 30 euros.

If you have a herd of snails, know that caring for them will take no more than 1-2 hours a day. You can easily combine your main labor activity and your farm. The main task is to provide the correct soil and nutrition, to remove mucus from the soil so that there is no reason for the growth of microbes and bacteria.

To maximize business profits, it is advisable to limit your capital investment by doing the installation yourself. In addition, you need to master all the nuances and stages of preparation from source to final operation. If you are overcome by doubts, it is better to test yourself in practice; to do this, try breeding several snails at home or in an apartment, equipping a certain area for their breeding. In fact, you will immediately understand whether you have the desire to continue promoting your business. If things went well and you have actively mastered all the nuances, then you should think about the next stage - creating a snail farm.

Such a non-traditional type of business for Russia as snail farming could become a very interesting business. We are talking about grape snails (from the Latin Helix pomatia), which are also called large-growing, apple, moon, edible, roof snails, etc.

Main consumers of this delicious product in such countries as France (annual import of about 6 thousand tons), Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy. According to research results, the total annual product need is more than 100 thousand tons. At the same time, demand is satisfied by manufacturers only by 60-70%.

In the conditions of our country, it is undoubtedly difficult to claim high demand for this product, but even less demand exists, and manufacturers could become regular suppliers for Escargot French restaurants and for industrial enterprises producing semi-finished products for markets, beating French and other foreign ones in price terms farms, for which transport and customs costs are a mandatory item of expenditure.

In addition, there is such a little-known line of business as sale of snail caviar, which has unique taste qualities(mushroom taste) and, more recently, after the development of a salting method (Fr. D. Pieru) is a delicacy.

Another effective direction for selling products is medical industry. Snails serve as an effective raw material base for the production of medical supplies various spectrum of effects from restoration of metabolism, rejuvenation of the body, bronchorelaxants to eliminating problems with potency (very strong aphrodisiacs are produced from snails). Snail meat promotes the regeneration of osteochondral tissue, helps with gastrointestinal diseases, and is recommended for pregnant women as a natural source of calcium.

Grape snail meat contains protein (10%), fats (30%), carbohydrates (5%), vitamin B6, B12, calcium, magnesium, iron.

In general, for those interested, we will describe the main points of building and maintaining a snail farm.

Composition of the main fixed and variable costs for organizing a snail farm per 1 ton of output:

1. Registration of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur, including opening a bank account, registration, obtaining all permits (described in detail earlier);
2. A plot of land with suitable vegetation (above 10 cm) of a size proportional to the planned production volumes (with natural feeding, 1 sq. m = 30-40 snails (approx. 1 kg), and with artificial feeding, 1 sq. m = 200 snails) on ownership or lease rights;
3. Premises for young animals (18 sq. m) and broodstock (4 sq. m);
4. Shelves for snails (4-5);
5. Boxes for snails for sale (8 pcs. 1x0.5 m);
6. Cuvettes for young animals (150 pieces, 0.1 mg each);
7. Ditches for laying eggs (200 pcs. 12x8x6 cm);
8. Aviary for young animals (400 sq. m);
9. 750 adult broodstock (15 kg);
10. Feed (milk powder approx. 15 kg, mixed feed approx. 1350 kg or greens; chalk approx. 300 kg). For 40 snails, the consumption is 2 kg of feed.

Technological process very simple.

For propagation, snails are placed in pairs in an appropriate container.

Snails are hermaphrodites, but mating is necessary for fertilization. It usually occurs from March to May (after hibernation). Then comes the laying of eggs by both individuals of the pair; after laying, the uterine individuals are transferred to an enclosure, and the eggs are placed in an incubator. After 6 weeks, the young animals can already be transferred to an adult enclosure. The entire process of reproduction and rearing occurs practically without the participation of the breeder. The only functions of the owner of a snail farm are complementary feeding, protection from “predators” (for example, worms, insects, shrews, lizards, moles, hedgehogs), as well as container-enclosure movement of individuals, depending on the stage of the reproduction and rearing processes.

Productivity Grape snails produce about 40-60 eggs from each uterine individual per year.

Growth cycle approximately 1.5 years (from April to August next year).

There are varieties of snails with a much shorter maturation cycle. For example, Helix Aspera Maxima (Tunisia) ripens in 6 months.

For implementation individuals weighing 20 g and measuring 5 cm are received. Selling price 3-5 euros per kilogram. Prices are dictated by the exchanges of such “snail giant” countries as France, Spain, and Italy. But you need to be prepared for the fact that at the start-up stage it will be difficult to reach this level (in terms of production volume, first of all) and therefore there may be a need to sell snails to buyers at bargain prices of 1.5-2 euros per kg.

Generally, payback period of the project is approx. 1.5 years.

Profitability from 100 kg of broodstock about 4 tons of product in 1.5 years, in terms of price 360 ​​thousand rubles. This is subject to effective distribution arrangements being reached.