Experience and Tips for Farming River Snails in Ponds
Anyone who has eaten river snails should know that river snails taste very good, especially in summer, when many food stalls and late-night snack stands mainly focus on them, which shows that river snails are very popular in everyday life.
Experience in farming river snails in ponds
In pond farming of river snails, the pond water surface is relatively wide and the water quality is relatively stable, so river snails cultivated in ponds grow quickly and have high yields. The pond used for cultivating river snails should not be too large in area, and the water should not be too deep. The area is generally preferably 1 to 2 mu, and the water depth is generally preferably about 1 m. For some shallow ponds with low fish production, switching to river snail farming is the most ideal choice. When farming river snails in ponds, first drain the water, use lime to remove predators, then fill with water for 7 days, let it dry for 1 day, then fill with clean water and release the snails.
What are river snails
River snails have crisp and tender meat, a delicious taste, and rich nutrition. Their protein content is 15.9%, and they are also rich in calcium. They are not only a superior health food for people, but also an animal feed that livestock, poultry, and fish like to eat. River snails are the general term for edible aquatic animals in the family Viviparidae, with many varieties, commonly including round river snails, river snails, yellow snails, swamp snails, fragrant snails, and others.
River snails are the general term for edible aquatic animals in the family Viviparidae, with many varieties, commonly including round river snails, river snails, yellow snails, swamp snails, fragrant snails, and others. River snail meat is a nutritionally rich natural health food, and abroad it is also called a beauty food. It contains up to 10.3% protein and 1.2% fat, and also vitamins, calcium, iron, and other elements necessary for the human body. The nutrition of river snail meat is better than that of chicken, duck, goose, and pork, and is not inferior to crucian carp, sea cucumber, and others. River snail meat can nourish kidney yin, brighten the eyes and clear the mind, enhance muscle elasticity, and make the skin delicate. River snails can be used as an everyday meat dish, and can also be processed into a series of foods, used to cook many medicinal dishes, and prevent and treat diseases. At present, naturally growing river snails are far from meeting market demand, and river snail farming has fast growth and high yield, so farming river snails has broad "money" prospects. In recent years, as the natural output of river snails has gradually decreased, the river snail market has continued to look promising. At present, artificial farming has begun in Guangdong, Fujian, and other areas, and many farmers regard river snail farming as a business path and vigorously develop it.
Market development prospects for river snails
River snails are a type of freshwater snail grown in China and are a superior health food. River snails are mollusks, are easy to grow with minimal care, and are suitable for growing in ponds, riversides, ditch edges, and paddy fields. The body is divided into 3 parts: head, foot, and visceral sac. The head has a mouth, eyes, tentacles, and other sensory organs. River snails have the effect of clearing heat and reducing internal heat, and are a popular late-night snack food in midsummer. In recent years, as the natural output of river snails has gradually decreased, the river snail market has continued to look promising.
Because river snail farming does not require feeding a lot of bait, the cost of the bait is also very low. Therefore, basically little cost is needed. As long as your family has fields, what remains is the river snail seed stock.
The benefits of farming river snails are relatively significant. For dedicated river snail farming, 667 sq m can produce 400 kg. The current market price is 3 to 4 yuan/kg. Calculated at 3.5 yuan/kg, the output value of 667 sq m can reach 1400 yuan. In addition, a small number of grass carp can also be mixed-cultured in river snail ponds to increase the benefit per unit area of the snail pond. Because river snail farming does not require feeding a lot of bait, the cost of the bait is also very low. Therefore, the net profit of river snail farming is about 1000 yuan per 667 sq m, and the benefit is relatively considerable.
River snail farming techniques
1. Site selection for farming
River snails have strong stress resistance, few diseases, a high reproduction rate, and low requirements for farming sites. In rural areas, many ditches, waterlogged paddy fields, and ponds can be used for stocking. If it is an open pond, azolla, duckweed, water hyacinth, and others can be grown on the water surface for shade, and bamboo poles, wooden strips, and others can be inserted in the pond for river snails to rest on. This can both harvest aquatic green manure as feed and raise river snails to increase income.
2. Collecting seed snails
River snails mostly reproduce naturally. For artificial farming, they can be picked from paddy fields, wild rice stem fields, and muddy ditches, or bought at the market, then live snails with light brown color, thin shells, round bodies, and blunt tails are selected as seed snails. Generally, river snails with a body weight of 15 to 25 g reach sexual maturity and can reproduce at temperatures above 15°C. Female snails are large and round, while male snails are small and pointed.
3. Stocking and reproduction
The most suitable growth temperature for river snails is 20 to 25°C. If it is below 15°C or above 30°C, river snails stop feeding, and below 10°C they burrow into the soil to hibernate. South of the Yangtze River, stocking can be done from March to November. If stocking in a natural area, 11 seed snails per sq m can be introduced (3 males and 8 females). If a pond is dug for single-species farming, 100 to 500 can be stocked per sq m. The water layer depth is preferably 0.8 to 1 m, and a layer of more than 10 cm of mud should be kept at the bottom of the pond to facilitate river snails crawling, feeding, resting, and so on. When stocking, putting male and female snails together allows natural reproduction.
4. Feeding and management
River snails are omnivorous animals. Rice bran, vegetable scraps, melon leaves, animal carcasses, and commercial feed can all be fed. Generally, aquatic plants, soil humus, vegetable peels, and others are the main food. In fertile paddy fields, fish-snail mixed farming, or low-lying areas with azolla, green azolla, water hyacinth, and others grown on the water surface, feed can be given less or not at all.
5. Reproduction management
River snails are viviparous animals. In the south, April to May and September to November each year are the reproduction periods. Female snails generally give birth in batches. Each river snail can produce 20 to 30 small river snails each time. After giving birth, the mother snail needs 14 to 16 months before it can reproduce again. Newly born small snails weigh 0.5 to 1.5 g. After 6 months of rearing, they can reach more than 3 to 5 g, and after 9 months they can reach about 9 g.
6. Catching and harvest
When catching river snails, adult snails should be selectively taken, and more mother snails should be left. Harvesting can be done in batches. In midsummer and early autumn, when the water temperature is relatively high, river snails mostly hide in the soil and among grass in the middle of the day, so they must be picked in the morning and evening, or the water can be drained for picking. For every 100 mother snails stocked, the annual yield can reach 100 kg.
Although market demand for river snails is very large and river snail farming is also a good project, whether it actually makes money still completely depends on the efforts of the farmer. All farming projects are definitely not empty talk. Discussing things only on paper produces no results at all. Only by putting everything into practice will there be results!