PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF EDIBLE SNAILS HELIX ASPERSA ASPERSA FED A DIET SUPPLEMENTED WITH CALCIUM PIDOLATE

In the last few decades there has been an upward trend in consumption of edible snails of the species Helix aspersa in European countries. In the 1990s the first Helix aspersa aspersa snail farms in Poland appeared, and the country’s heliculture now accounts for about 10% of European pro- duction. Parameters used to calculate the profitability of production play an important role in all farming systems; in the case of snails these include the feed conversion rate and yield (kg per m2). Recent years have seen growing interest in organic sources of microelements as feed additives to increase productivity and enhance immunity. Therefore the aim of the study was to conduct pilot research on the effect of the addition of calcium pidolate to the diet on selected production and quality parame- ters in snails Helix aspersa aspersa. The experiment was carried out on two plots on a snail farm. Agrimony was grown on the two plots. The snails were fed grower and finisher diets. The diet for the experimental group was supplemented with 0.075% calcium pidolate. The experiment was continued until the snails reached somatic and commercial maturity. The snails in the experimental group were shown to mature earlier and weigh more, resulting in more kilograms of live weight per m2. Moreover, the percentage of snails classified as quality class I was higher in the experimental group. The amount of feed provided until completion of the cycle was higher in the control group, which could result in a longer fattening period and higher FCR. The pilot experiment carried out in snails Helix aspersa aspersa demonstrated that the addition of calcium pidolate to the diet of snails can result in a higher final weight and lower feed consumption.