Gebruiker:Chescargot/Flow chart snail farm

Incubation/hatchery

Incubator (tr:kuluçkahane)

When the clutches have hatched and the incubator boxes cannot be maintained longer then the hatchlings need to be packed for sales, or moved to the nursery.

Nursery

Nursery (tr: yuva)

A nursery is a room serving to grow hatchlings in a protected environment till they are strong enough to be moved to the fattening parks. The hatchlings are grouped and stored in nursery boxes. There are various means that can serve as nursery box. For large scale professional practices, a practical nursery box can be a transparent plastic box of ca 30x40x50 cm, with a sealing lid. In the sides (not bottom or cover!) 1 milimeter holes are drilled for aeration.

In the cover a humid cloth is laid out with feed. The box is in one day filled to capacity with hatchlings. (The capacity is determined on sight by having the lid filled with one layer of hatchlings). The box is then closed upside down and stored in a conditioned room with the following conditions:

Acclimatization nursery	Day	Night
Temperature	20-24	18-22
Humidity	<80%	>80%
Daylight	16 hr	8 hr
Ventilation	Natural, no draught	Natural, no draught

Boxes are numbered and can be piled up on top of each other.

Boxes are cleaned once a week with lukewarm water and dead hatchlings are removed. Humid cloth and feed are replaced.

Hatchlings that have gained a weight of ca 3 g can be moved to the parks. Typically, it takes ca 3 weeks.

The entry dates of the hatchlings and exit dates of the juveniles are recorded, as are any unusual conditions observed (e.g. excessive mortality, failing acclimatization, etc)