Snake season for "gold"

Around May to June every year, when the weather turns hot, snake breeders in Tu Xa commune, Lam Thao district enter the cobra egg harvesting season - the busiest time of the year for this famous snake breeding village.

To harvest snake eggs earlier, from late March to early April, many snake farmers in Tu Xa commune have applied the "furnace burning" method, creating an artificial heat source using a sauna-style heating system, transmitting hot air through steel pipes running along the bottom or side of the cage.

This method helps raise the temperature in the cage to about 28 - 30 degrees Celsius, stimulating the female snake to become pregnant and lay eggs 15 - 20 days earlier than usual. This method is mainly applied to cages with floors and closed roofs because of their better heat retention. Meanwhile, ground-level cages often have to wait until the weather is naturally hot enough, around May and June, to start the peak harvest season.

Mr. Bui Tuan Thanh checks the quality of snake eggs before delivering them to traders.

Visiting Mr. Bui Tuan Thanh’s snake farm (Zone 5, Tu Xa Commune), we came across a miniature “egg market” scene. Some were calculating money, some were counting eggs, some were packing goods for delivery to traders. The whole family was almost fully mobilized for the main season of snake farming, which is the egg-laying season.

With an area of ​​about 100 square meters, Mr. Thanh's facility is built into tiered cages, divided into two camps, each with about 500 cages. The total herd of snakes is up to more than 1,000, including about 600 females and 500 males.

Mr. Thanh shared: "To have eggs to sell at this time, my family has used the "burning furnace" method to help snakes lay eggs early. This year, snake eggs cost between 37,000 - 50,000 VND/egg, depending on the type and time."

A qualified snake egg is one that, when viewed under a flashlight, will clearly show tiny blood vessels inside - a sign that the egg has been fertilized and is developing an embryo.

The breeding season of the cobra usually lasts from May to the end of June. A female snake can lay an average of 15 - 20 eggs, some individuals even up to 35 - 40 eggs. "The eggs are sold right at home to traders in Vinh Phuc province to supply to China. The reason why the Chinese market buys snake eggs and cobra breeds so strongly is due to customs and preferences for eating snake meat with a diverse menu of snake dishes. If we consider the economic efficiency of raising snakes, snake eggs will bring the highest profit" - Mr. Thanh affirmed.

Besides households that raise snakes using temperature intervention like Mr. Thanh, many people in Tu Xa still choose the traditional natural way of raising snakes, allowing snakes to mate and reproduce according to their biological cycle and harvesting eggs 1 month later.

Snakes eat little and are not picky, mainly toads, chickens and ducks, and only need to be fed once every 4-5 days.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai (Zone 7, Tu Xa Commune) has been in the profession for 28 years, from a small-scale breeding of only 40 snakes, to now, her family has expanded the farm to 300 square meters with 2,000 snakes, including 900 female snakes and 1,100 male snakes. With more than 800 female snakes of reproductive age, each laying an average of 20 eggs, Ms. Hai expects to collect more than 16,000 eggs this year during the upcoming peak season.

"When the weather starts to get hot in early May, I let the male snake mate with the female snake. After about 1-2 weeks, the female snake becomes pregnant and starts laying eggs after about 40 days. Last year, when the price of snake eggs fluctuated from 50,000 - 60,000 VND/egg, my family earned nearly 600 million VND from selling eggs. After deducting the cost of breeding stock, food and care, the profit was more than 300 million VND. Compared to many other farming jobs, snake farming is hard but the income is stable, if you know how to invest properly" - Ms. Hai said.

In Tu Xa, the snakes raised are mainly fat cobras. When they reach a weight of 2 to 3 kg, the snakes will be sold.

Once known as the largest snake farming village in the North, Tu Xa commune had a glorious period with more than 200 snake farming households, forming a systematic supply chain from breeding animals, eggs, snake meat to processed products. However, according to Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuat - Head of the snake farming village of Tu Xa commune, Lam Thao district, currently the whole commune only has about 55 households still engaged in the profession.

“The current market price of cobras ranges from 550,000 to 650,000 VND/kg, and snake eggs are around 50,000 VND/egg. The total revenue from snake farming in the whole commune is over 6 billion VND/year. Although the scale is reduced, the economic efficiency is still significant for households that maintain good techniques and consumption markets,” said Mr. Thuat.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai's family has been involved in snake farming for 28 years.

Once known as the “village of death”, Tu Xa commune is associated with stories of dangers lurking in the process of raising venomous snakes. However, over time, with the participation of local authorities, professionals and the people themselves, preventive measures have been applied more strictly.

Snake farmers today are equipped with knowledge, skills in handling situations and have good experience in protection. The cages have been improved, the care - harvesting - transportation process is also safer than before. The nickname "village of death" is gradually becoming just a memory, giving way to the image of a brave and professional craft village, both developing the economy and preserving a unique profession.

Bao Thoa

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mua-ran-cho-vang-233289.htm