Hi All Sifu, just have another qusetion.
If I want to convert the upper floor of a shop lot to a bird house, what should I use on the ceiling as insulator. Should I use back the ceiling board ,replace it or just add something on top. Since the board is hold by aluminium frame only, how should I nail the nesting plank to it? Mine is A type roof, not concrete roof.....Thanks for advice...

install a new ceiling using cemboard (4'x 8') 15mm thick under the existing (2'x4') ceiling board.
support of the new ceiling is from the exiting roof frame. punch a small hole from the exiting aluminium ceiling. leave a gap between the old and new ceiling.
above the existing ceiling, install a layer of aluminium sheet both sided , before Rockwell put in place. use a thin type of rock wool but high density.
thin type with higher density will have lesser weight but better insulation.
nesting plank can be install underneath the cemboard.

Any Sifu here is from pahang? Mentakab, Jerantut or Termerloh? If your are free, we can have a cup of coffee to "bird" talk. I have just modified my double story shop BH after some studies here n there. I realise we will get addicted n very exciting when we talk about swiftlets ; )

Thanks for advice....

very informative thread

enclosed swiftlets farming also called integrated swiftlets farming or something of such is obviously very dangerous.

1. It create in breeding and that's bad as we understand that most animal species die out due to in breeding. their immune abilities lessen but the germs and viruses mutate every time and therefore, cross breeding is always the best unless the species are about to extinct. This isn't happening to our domesticated swiftlets.

2.These buz should not be called " Swiftlets Sanctuary' as they do not provide sanctuary but caged free species and should be refer to factory or plant or something of such but never "Sanctuary", anything but not Sanctuary!!!!

3. By feeding them with man made food is also wrong in my opinion unless these ar fallen chicks.

That is called aeroswiftlet i heard not long time ago. Not a natural swiftlet farming. Sigh what happen to people these days. They think they are innovative, but instead it is so stupid.

BTW WW, what is your current place price for 1 kg nests? At what price should we sell? Now here rm3.4k. We dont sell any yet though.

These guys aren't stupid but very smart and intelligent; So innovative like those guys making fake nests and make millions dollars and only those who believe in them are F****, They are fishing for "water turtles" to dump their saving into their projects....my opinion only.

I did asked a buyer why he offered such low price and his answer was that there was no official quote for the nests and so he offered his own quote. He told me that if I think that it too cheap to sell, then keep it for a better price and he will buy and also will keep the nests to speculate on it. So, to be safe, he buy low to ensure that he won't loss incase the price drop.........honest answer I would say.

To sell or not to sell is the question of the day as to sell to allow the price to drop and not to sell but then how do you prevent others from selling and so the price may drop without you selling unless all are not selling. Impossible ....... so if you need the cash, then sell cos the price may drop further but I wouldn't sell and will keep my nest for a better price.....

No one can give you an advice on the matter and you and you alone can decide on the matter concerned.

A suggestion, get a chiller to store your nests to maintain its freshness ie whiteness or otherwise it will turn brownish.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Sep 20 2011, 05:39 PM

Hi WW

Thanked you so much for your detailed advice to my previous posting

FYI, I am a consumer and does not own a BH at the moment. Can I buy direct from you please?

>>

I put the unprocessed birdnest into fridge inside a container. After sometime I found that it strink in size, maybe due to dehydration. So if the nest is put into chiller, will lost $$$ due to dehydration?

Is our govt representative goin to China to clarify the nitrite level and the work on lifting the ban imposed by China? I have China friends told me that China has news spreading that birdnest nutrients is not as good as it claim afterall This will be bad for Malaysia. Any doctor or expert help to clarify this to China, what about our heallllth dept!!!

Have a good day

Here is some good news. Swifin has recently sent Sabah House Nest to Singapore to have it's natural nitrate contain analyzed . The test result shows it Contain only 15 ppm where as the allowed safe level is 30ppm. In any case if we worry about eating BN because of it's natural nitrate contain , then they should ban all preserved meat product like ham and bacon . Nitrate is the main ingredient use to cure the meat.

Hi Brother West Wind how are you? I have been hibernating so quite some times already. Hope every 1 is fine here. The correct word to use is i think SWIFTLET RANCHING. This phrase was used by Veterinary Dept Dr. Fazilah during our seminar in Kuala Terengganu/Pulau Kapas many years ago.

2. I would like to get members opinion here about nesting planks....should it be kept clean while installing, no dirt on the timbers. mine a lot on earth stain used to seal the gaps between ceiling and nesting planks and according to the person who visited my birdhouse, he asked me to change all the planks. Some are also stained due to high humidity because the previous CON-SUL-TANT used light red meranti and not dark red meranti like Meranti Bukit or Nemesu. Sad to say that mine is a failed one with only less than 200 nests after 3 years... Please help...

3. As to the tweeters cable, ya they used cheap China cable and most of the tweeters ( cheap ones too) are not working. I have changed all the wires and using good tweeters. The work was just completed 3 weeks ago. The friend now advice me to change the nesting planks.....more ringgit will fly away.....and it is getting difficult now (financially).

4. My is a stand alone in rubber/fruit plantation land of 2 acres situated in Terengganu.

Ideas and suggestions please....Thanks for your time.

This post has been edited by swiftlailai: Sep 21 2011, 11:30 PM

Hi, you must be well off to be able to hibernate for so long......kidding lah.

Not many BH owners use Dark Red meranti as these are expensive and more difficult to work with. Too much moisture at the planks will weaken the plank and make it very soft so soft that you practically karate chop 3 pcs of the plank without any black belt and worst fungus will grow with many colors. I have seen black and also white type of fungus that like nest base.

Dirty plank can be clean with wet cloth and if stained, just sand paper it off.

Meranti Bukit now cost over Rm3K, right?? Some guys said that light red meranti don't last but most of those old BHs that I know are over 15 years and still having the old planks up there but do add more new planks because of shortage of staying area....and not because of old planks. The only old BH that changed planks are those failed or still not satisfied owners even after having 5-6 thousands as those about the same aged BH did have over 10K do renovate and even change to new planks.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Sep 22 2011, 03:15 PM

Thanks Bros,

So no need to change nesting planks. That is good news to me.

I am hoping for the best after changing tweeters and speaker cables.

What more shall I do to hansten the increase in nests?

Hi, may I know what will happen if using normal type of speaker cable, my Sifu juz use those cable from China. Whenever I ask my Sifu any question on improvement all being reject, is it normal for a Sifu to say, birds already stay and make nest so don't disturb them. My BH 1 year got 50birds with 20 nest but not in prime zone, is this consider ok? Is it because of my impatient? Haha!

DVS requires everyone that deals with Edible Birds' Nest to register with them by 1st October 2011. Check out their website.

What can happen if we do not register?

I think nothing will happen. I already registered since November 2010, nothing happen also, like never registered. DVS never come to visit my BH.

As usual NATO (no action talk only) by our DVS.

I think they just want to trace where we are first especially the bh GPS coordinates. Anything happen in the future, easy for them to locate us.

Since the stock market take a hit, will it even worsen our bird nest price? No sign of recovering yet.

Hai, all sifu. Have another question, normally a good sound will last for how long? I ask this because my bird house just open sound for 5 days, first 3 days so many bird come and play. At 3 day, about 10+ bird stay, 4th days, 20+ bird stay, but at the day time no bird come and play for 2 days already. Should I change the sound or just wait and see?