Snail Farming

[thelegend]

Have just seen a programme on Snail Farming. Seems to be low cost , low maintainance,small area,good return. Anyone with any information please?

[Maizefarmer]

Do you think there would be a sustainable market for them in Thailand (local or nationwide) - or is the idea to produce them and sell them as a processed product (for the export market?) ?

I ask because the rural folk up here in the North and North East do eat them - cooked in a wok with lemon and or some or other spicy sauce added, but how big a market it is I haven't a clue.

Tim

[thelegend]

Do you think there would be a sustainable market for them in Thailand (local or nationwide) - or is the idea to produce them and sell them as a processed product (for the export market?) ?

I ask because the rural folk up here in the North and North East do eat them - cooked in a wok with lemon and or some or other spicy sauce added, but how big a market it is I haven't a clue.

Tim

Hey Tim. I have no idea. Just saw a report on it on Aussie Tv....people doing quite well in Aus out of it and mentioned Aus imports large quantity from Asia, but no specifics as to where exactly. Seemed to be a very simple, minimum labour, low cost industry. The market seems to be major hotels and french resturants.

[Pond Life]

I've eaten snails in the north but I think they were fresh water snails & rather small.

I've never seen the big escargot type here.

Judgeing by the hoards of garden snails that invade my house every rainy season I'd say they'd grow here very well.

[dvk1951]

Not a snail exerpert by any stretch (just learning to crawl ) but temp/humidity/light duration control seems to be critical for growth and reproduction. The website I visited quoted 17-20c. 75-95 humidity and 18 hours of light. Seems to me that creating this artificial environment in Thailand would make viability a question mark?

But then again slime can be turned into a profit if the right slimeball comes around

[Maizefarmer]

Lighting shouldn't be a problem - inless its some particular natural wavelength that is required my gues is that is would just be light for sake of light i.e. to stimulate growth in the snail by way of "convincing" them that its still day time and therefore they should be eating and not sleeping.

If it is a case of just light - then a couple solar panels charged in the day and running 3 hours beofre sunrise and 3 hours after sunrise may do the job.

WEll , if thew Aussies are already importing them from Asia - I see no reason why you can't climb in board as well.

Do you know what variety or type of snail they are importing, and from where (possibly big French escargots from somewhere like Vietnam?)

Some inter-net research should provide all the basic answers.

Tim

[thelegend]

Lighting shouldn't be a problem - inless its some particular natural wavelength that is required my gues is that is would just be light for sake of light i.e. to stimulate growth in the snail by way of "convincing" them that its still day time and therefore they should be eating and not sleeping.

If it is a case of just light - then a couple solar panels charged in the day and running 3 hours beofre sunrise and 3 hours after sunrise may do the job.

WEll , if thew Aussies are already importing them from Asia - I see no reason why you can't climb in board as well.

Do you know what variety or type of snail they are importing, and from where (possibly big French escargots from somewhere like Vietnam?)

Some inter-net research should provide all the basic answers.

Tim

Google search has some info. In Aus they grow the common garden snail,smaller but claimed to be much tastier. They even pay kids to collect them for them to add to their breeding stock.

[teletiger]

Here's a pretty complete site on the subject.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/srb96-05.htm

Regards

[Maizefarmer]

TT - that artical covers the subject pretty comprehensively from A to Z.

Only thing missing now is a customer (market).

Tim

[Gary A]

SORRY ! I put snails in the same category with the insects that my wife loves to catch and eat. I don't think I could ever get that hungry.

[Tywais]

I've eaten snails in the north but I think they were fresh water snails & rather small.

I've never seen the big escargot type here.

Judgeing by the hoards of garden snails that invade my house every rainy season I'd say they'd grow here very well.

Just curious but are escargot snails larger then this (about 12cm length)? Also, is this one edible?

[Pond Life]

I think the usual Escargot is more like 4-5 cm shell diameter.

I dont know what your snail is but the 2 types they mainly eat have a different shaped shell.

Theres plenty of others you can eat tho', give one a try.

Slightly off topic, does anyone know if catfish like to eat land snails ? In rainy season I'm plagued with them & was hopeing to feed them to catfish when I start a small pond.

[Tywais]

Slightly off topic, does anyone know if catfish like to eat land snails ? In rainy season I'm plagued with them & was hopeing to feed them to catfish when I start a small pond.

I have a small concrete pond with several large cat fish. When I clean it I find a lot of snail shells in the bottom and suspect they (fish) are eating them. But maybe they just drowned. Good question though.

[Pond Life]

Im thinking if its the Catfish eating them, they would crunch up the shells.

I've thrown many into my big pond & never seen fish eat them but its deep & I think the catfish stay at the bottom.

They float but, dont swim to good so drowning is a definate possibility.