Snail Farming Experience: Cement Pond and Soil Pond Rearing Methods

With the continuous development of the farming industry today, field snail farming is also a good project. As people's living standards keep rising, people are becoming more and more particular about what they eat, so the market demand for field snails has shown an upward trend in recent years.

Experience in Farming Field Snails in Cement Ponds and Soil Ponds

For monoculture of field snails in cement ponds and soil ponds, the pond is built in a place with convenient drainage and no wastewater pollution. The pond is 1.5 m wide, with a water depth of 35—40 cm, and the length is unlimited. A ridge about 20 cm above the water surface is built along the pond edge, water inlet and outlet openings are set at opposite corners of the pond, and escape-prevention nets are installed. A certain thickness of silt is laid on the pond bottom. Aquatic plants such as algae, water hyacinth, red azolla, and wild rice stem can be grown on the pond surface to provide food, shade from the heat, and habitat for the field snails. Some peanuts are planted around the pond edge to provide habitat and shade for the field snails. Before stocking parent snails in cement ponds and soil ponds for field snail farming, base fertilizer must be applied to cultivate natural feed. The base fertilizer uses 75% chicken manure and 25% chopped rice straw, applied at 450—530 g per sq m. After 7 days the water quality becomes fertile, and the parent snails can then be stocked. For newly built cement ponds, sprinkle 0.5—0.75 kg of white vinegar per sq m. After washing, fill with clean water to a depth of 30—40 cm.

Construction of Field Snail Farming Ponds  

1. Site selection for farming: Field snails have strong adaptability and few diseases. As long as they avoid poisoning by large amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, many ordinary water bodies in rural areas such as flat river channels, stream beaches, pits, rice fields, and ponds can all be used for stocking.  

2. Pond construction: Field snail farming ponds are generally 1.5 m wide, 10-15 m long, and 30-50 cm deep. Between two ponds, a 20 cm high ridge is built for walking. A 10 cm thick layer of fertile mud is laid on the pond bottom. Aquatic plants such as wild rice stem, asparagus, water hyacinth, and duckweed can be sparsely planted in the pond to shade the field snails from the sun and heat, provide climbing habitat, and supply feed, improving the utilization rate of the snail pond. Around the snail pond, a 60-80 cm high wall or mesh fence is built.

3. Pond disinfection: In field snail farming, the use of sodium pentachlorophenate for pond clearing is completely prohibited. Generally, quicklime or bleaching powder can be used for pond clearing and disinfection, but quicklime is best. The dosage is 100-150 kg per mu with water (water depth 30-50 cm), or 50-75 kg per mu without water. Clearing the pond with quicklime has benefits such as raising the pH value, increasing calcium content, regulating water quality, and killing viruses and bacteria.

Field Snail Farming Methods  

1. Selection of seed snails: Field snails mostly reproduce naturally. For artificial farming, they can be picked from rice fields, wild rice stem fields, and muddy ditches, or bought from the market, and then live snails with light brown color, thin shells, round bodies, and blunt tails are selected as seed snails. Generally, field snails weighing 15-25 g have reached sexual maturity and can reproduce at temperatures above 15°C. Female snails are large and round, while male snails are small and pointed.  

2. Stocking time: Seed snails can be stocked all at once or in multiple batches, but to improve the survival rate, it is generally necessary to avoid the hot summer period. Of course, stocking at the end of the previous year helps shorten the farming time and increase the yield per unit area for that year.  

3. Stocking method: If stocking in a natural area, 11 seed snails per sq m is enough (3 males and 8 females). If a pond is dug for monoculture, 100-500 can be stocked per sq m, with a water depth of 0.8-1 m being suitable. A layer of silt more than 10 cm thick should be kept on the pond bottom to facilitate crawling, feeding, and resting for the field snails. When stocking, male and female snails are placed together, so they can reproduce naturally.  

4. Mixed farming: To regulate water quality, 20-50 silver carp of 20-50 g and 5-10 bighead carp of 20-50 g can be raised per mu. Snail ponds should not be stocked with carnivorous or partly carnivorous fish such as black carp, common carp, crucian carp, and yellow catfish.

Field Snail Farming Management  

1. Feeding: Field snails are omnivorous. Rice bran, vegetable scraps, melon leaves, animal carcasses, and commercial feed can all be fed. Generally, aquatic plants, soil humus, and vegetable peels are the main food. In fertile rice fields, fish-snail mixed farming, or low-lying areas where red azolla, green azolla, and water hyacinth are grown on the water surface, little or no feed needs to be added.  

2. Water quality regulation: First, fresh water should often be added to the snail pond to regulate water quality. Especially in the breeding season, it is best to keep the pond water flowing. This is especially true in hot seasons, where flowing-water farming gives better results. In spring and autumn, slight flowing-water farming is better. The water depth of the snail pond should always be kept at about 30 cm. Second, regulate the pH of the water. When the pond water pH is low, apply 0.15-0.18 kg of quicklime per sq m, scattering it once every 10-15 days, to keep the pond water pH at 7-8.  

3. Disease and pest control: Field snails have few diseases. The key points are managing water and preventing ducks, cats, snakes, rats, and birds from entering the pond to prey on the field snails, as well as preventing the field snails from escaping. Shallow-water and slight flowing-water farming are suitable, with a pond water depth of 25-30 cm being appropriate. In the breeding season and hot season, the pond water must be kept flowing even more.  

4. Overwintering management: When the water temperature drops to 8-9°C, field snails begin to hibernate. During hibernation, field snails use the top of their shells to drill into the soil, leaving only a small round hole on the soil surface and occasionally releasing bubbles to breathe. Field snails do not eat during the overwintering period, but the farming pond still needs to maintain a water depth of 10-15 cm, generally exchanging the water once every 3-4 days to maintain an appropriate oxygen content.  

5. Timely harvesting: Adult snails should be harvested selectively, leaving more female snails. Harvesting can be done in batches. In midsummer and early autumn, when the water temperature is relatively high, field snails mostly hide in the soil and among the grass at noon, so they must be picked in the morning and evening, or the water can be drained for picking. For every 100 female snails stocked, the annual yield can reach 100 kg.  

6. Packaging and transportation: The transportation of field snails is very simple. They can be held in ordinary bamboo baskets, wooden buckets, and the like, or packed in woven bags. During transportation, it is only necessary to keep the field snails moist and prevent exposure to the sun.

Although there are quite a lot of people farming field snails now, many people may not know the techniques and skills of field snail farming. In the farming process, only by mastering certain techniques and skills can one avoid many detours and maximize profits.

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