It's mentioned here and in so many places but then since nothing to do, I just let you know a case history.

If you are in a crowded BH ( having hundreds of birds) at night with no light, don't move and you shall be saved but I did make a mistake long ago and move around and got hit near the eye. So, if you are moving in the BH, make sure that you use light; remember that the birds see better than you do. In total darkness, they use sound to detect your presence and may hit you if you move. This is what they call Echolocation.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 3 2014, 08:10 PM

To be or not to be, by Shakespeare .......that's the question is the same as to do or not to do????????

Last month, I advice a friend not to harvest his nests as he saw huge increment of semi finished nests along with his normal few hundreds of nest. The reason being that my friend is looking forward for the increment of nests therefore he need to forgo this harvesting as any harvesting would cause some distress or disturbance to swiftlets in the BH. If his reason is to get cash, then harvest after all, all the nests are empty and of size but bear in mind that many nests are not used so be prepare for any lacking of nests in your next harvest if you do.

Another friend did harvest all his nests and I didn't disapproved his doing so as his BH has over many thousand nests and increment never was in his mind although increment always happy but not essential enough to sacrifice his income. So, to do or not to do, this is surely a big Question and only the one there can decide base on factors describe above so to see on sight is to know and judge wisely.

YES!!! why birds are not returning to breed and we all know why............the environment and climate all unsatisfactory for bird to return to breed......all we can is to wait and see........after all, a friend forwarded to me pics of Chang Ping EBN complex all empty of EBN but funny that most shops still open. I can only guess that staffs there only take orders and then rush to some secret place to get the EBN, something like our local pirate VCD sellers having all empty cases but will give you the VCD when you buy.

China is now cleaning corruption and smuggling is not exempted and so all are closing shops temporary due to the heat generated. I foresee the weather shall be better as corruption is everywhere and it will return back and everything shall be the same again. If only that our Govt. shall come to their senses and allow unprocessed nest out, then maybe, we still have a future......otherwise, the Horse doesn't bring in Good fortune to our industry. If only our Govt. learn from past mistakes like cases of Sugar King and Air Asia but then it's their Ego of Malaysia Boleh. God are good to us that Malaysia don't have bird Flu and we didn't take the opportunity to make as much as possible and when we do have bird Flu, then it shall be too late and wea are going to be as good as dead.

Let China process the nests to their own standard and we only take care of ensuring that the unprocessed EBN are from Malaysia, a country free of Bird Flu so that our EBN can fetch the highest price and that the outlets in China can safely sell our EBN openly and legally. Just allowing the less than 10 processing plants to handle the export of our nests will only cover 10% of our Malaysian Nests.....these, we are forever at the mercy of the buyers esp. the processing plants which do have their own nests to process,,,,

So, don't expect the price to go very high but alittle must due to our ringgit depreciation against Chinese RMB. 1K last year still get more than 2K now only 1.8K. If this continue, our Ringgit maybe at par with RMB then we all shall need to jadi Kakak or Abang in China as the wages in China is high..

I must stop as taking about it is useless cos it shall never happen in the near future so our price shall remain low for sometime to come.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 9 2014, 11:27 AM

Birds are returning to breed and maybe, you will find chicks in the nests unless you did harvest all the nests most recently.

Also, Now, the ripe time for those who wish to increase their birds by drawing other birds into your houses by sound or smell....and using smell, now is the time as otherwise, without any bird around, it shall be wastage of solution and time.

I shall not recommend any perfume in the market as most are useless or expired due to their shelf life. Smell must be fresh and to use in the right time and place to be successful. Smell play an importance part in the new BHs but then to waste your money by buying useless perfume is rather waste of money and stupid.

If you spray some liquid of aroma in to your BH and immediate, the birds flying overhead feel the urge to drive in; that a good smell!!!!

I am old and so I don't have time and energy to climb up and do the research so I shall need young men around here to do these experiments and provide us with the feedback.........if they are willing to share as we are to share cos there is really nothing to lose for sharing as I did for the past tens of years to many successful breeders. Remember that we maybe doing but God is seeing so for helping others in need we are gaining more rewards and happiness that money cannot buy.

As always, I remind all that we shall be grateful to the one who give especially the swiftlets and we shall be rewarded cos being good, I am blessed with everything that money can buy and also money cannot buy and I hope that you can, too.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 12 2014, 12:30 PM

Thinking back of wonderful Yesteryears, I joyfully recall the followings:

1. The birds find no place to make their nests and they even do it at electrical wires and even at ceiling hanging down, making the nests look like a baby cradles.
2. The birds produce nests multiple nests in a row of more than a foot long that HM once said that it was made by the king of swiftlets but we old timers know too well to be fooled. Maybe polygamy, possible with 10 wife living together in a row. hahahaha.
3. The birds dive into the entrance like hundreds bees making impossible to count.
4. That you wore safety glasses when in the BH so that the bids would not hit you in the eyes accidently.
5. That you picked up many young swiftlets off the road during other BHs harvesting time and put them into your BH so that they did have a chance to survive which they do because all the young birds needed were one more day or two to fly safely.
6. That we saw hundreds of newly fledged swiftlets cheerfully playing near the hill before flying away into the sky; like parent watching their children grown up.
6. Many other sweet memories.

Those were the days, those were the days...I told my friends.

My Story.

Initially years ago, I don't build a BH that I cannot be there at least twice a month. They were my pets and they stay in the Bh even when I am in and I can moved among them without any problem but in order not to frighten them by allowing them to have peace of mind, I didn't use any light......only a torch light that were use when I need to observe something.

Having said that, this was when you need safety glasses as you move, the bird may hit you in the darkness as they used echolocation to navigate and when you move, they may hit you and normally at the head.

Now, we come to why the birds make nests in a row as we all know that the birds like to be together and I wasn't greedy (lapar) like many others who started putting planks into square to make space for the birds, I rather the birds to have space and not stress.

I really don't need the BH to survive well as I am already a successful business before I venture into swiftlet industry so I just want to experiment with the BH and provide sanctuary for the swiftlets but it ends up so good that people started offering to buy.

I jokingly asked for a price and was taken up and as a gentleman, I have honor my words and make a few requests before signing off the Bh and one of it is to harvest only after fledgling. Immediately after the golden handshake, many phoned up and offer 4 times the price and one even to 6 times I quoted. The first Bh that I had changes hand 3 times in 2 years and the first buyer make 4 times the amount that he paid me.

The latest buyer now harvest almost every two months and where to find newly fledged birds flying around the hill beside my shop anymore. Secondly, the population surely down with such method of breeding as old birds will die and not enough new birds to fill the place. More BHs around cutting into lesser distribution and mostly are total harvesters and where can find new fledged birds unless swiftlets really come from heaven as olden chinses saying.

If swiftlets really come from Heaven, I will tell them ...please go back to heaven cos we human being are always greedy and always be hahahaha

This MH370 problem has created lot of anti Malaysia feelings in China but I really don't understand why this has to be. It got nothing to do with us, the raayat of Malaysia and Malaysia as a country; Malaysia is one of the safest countries to visit. We understand their sentiments and sadness and also the wrong usage of words by our ministers at the meetings. They shouldn't jump to conclusion base on what the Australian Gov. forwarded but why boycott Malaysia and this anti Malaysian also make us so worried to go to China.....

I heard of many cancellation of flights to Malaysia but hopefully, this doesn't affect our EBN export to China. Also. hopefully, MAS will survive this incident or else, our Govt. will again need to save MAS with our money as usual. If not, we shall expect more taxes to follow and maybe, depreciation of ringgit further.

please remember that I don't read newspaper and all below News are from friends.They told me that PM allow the swiftlets farmers Association to discuss with the Chinese Authorities on how to export Unprocessed Nests to China but the Wholesaler Association were against it.

All I can say their disagreement are due to their personal interest. If we truly can export our unprocessed nests legally, then most of the outlets in China now being forced to close due to authorities action against smuggling of EBN will all be a thing of the past.

We shall slowly but surely see the increase of price of EBN immediately and in the near future, your guess is as good as mine. Secondly, EBN can be just exported without high PPM reason because all are of nature.
Let China do the cleaning and with it, the PPM issue and problems.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Apr 5 2014, 03:03 PM

Doing BH is like share market, buy when low and sell when high. A few of my friends now should regret that they didn't sell off their BHs when the price was damm good..........one being offered Rm9M for a 5 S Bh and another offered Rm4.5M for a 3.5 S BH. Now, their value are about 30% of the formal value if there are buyers interested.

I was the middle man for both and regretfully that I cannot convince them to sell otherwise, they were become millionaires and I also get my share of commission and just you guess how much I shall be getting at 2% for only the above two sales.

They were stubborn and loss and I was also the loser of the time...So, now maybe an opportunity to buy low but not to build and if the price of EBN increase in the near future, sell and make million.....many BHs are selling very cheap with hundreds of nests and some have converted into hotels for better returns.

Those were the days, my friend. Now, no much of value added to the EBN as the present unstable and low price for the EBN. Many shoplots have convert back to buz lot for better and secured income as this month saw more than 7 breakin in a small town in Trg and one of mine also cleared out. The worst pain wasn't the losing of EBN but the chicks all over the floors and I spend aver 2 days trying to put them back in any way I can.

I would advice all to join forces to address this serious problem as these thieves attack BH even in the day time. Catch them and break a leg or hand as these shameless pigs aren't ashamed to steal and not trying to earn a living themselves. Few days before my breakin, I sms most here to beware of thieves using yellow car in town but then came the 2 days holidays and off I went to KL to only to receive call from a friend that my BH been forced in....

Take caution as these guys or rather pigs still around as most BH aren't time to harvest as it's still not fledgling time.
As for per nest value, I think the best you can get is Rm200-Rm300. Someone want to sell me his BH with 600 nests @ town @ shoplot value and I still need time to consider it.

For discussion only.

What would you do if your BH been broken in?
Report to police but I think it's a waste of time as we have a case here that my friend caught the thief and was beaten up and hand to the Police but he was release later to someone driving a Mercedes.

If only our police care and respect our properties right cos they don't even bother to investigate the matter and the thief can just released like this and the thief even told my friend that he shall return to steal again.......while he was taken off by the police. So, in order that he never return is to break a hand or leg so that he cannot steal again....even if we have to be cruel to be safe.

Latest News on EBN price here was that one friend just sold his EBN for RM2200/Kg, mind you that these were big white EBN but alittle wet and the buyer was buying for Chinamen here. Most selling here at around Rm1600/Kg AB mixed.

Nowaday, some have set up auction market for EBN and I believe many parts of the country has done the same where sellers meet buyers to buy/sell EBN and whoever pay best price take the EBN.

Tomorrow, I heard there is one at Air Jernih and maybe, those interested may want to go or just to see how the auction done or to know how much your EBN may worth.

I heard that the one held at Seremban was not satisfactory as the price quoted were low and many sellers weren't happy. Anyone there?

EBN prices vary from place to place and quality, types, size and color determine the final price and it's good if you know how it works. Do have your wanted price before selling as the differences in price may vary by a few hundreds. First have the buyers to quote and if the price is higher than your intended price, sell but if lower, negotiate for a better price and still disagree on the final price, pack up and leave cos there are always other buyers........

Always remember that buyers sell to different area and each area requirements are different like once I sold some very large very brown EBN for a price higher than white EBN all because those were very large EBN and the buyers did have such outlet looking for very big EBN. I was offered just half of the white before meeting up with this buyer.

Something to share among friends.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Jun 12 2014, 11:02 AM

Heard from friends who said that you were there but according to them, there was this one buyer who did not understand how to grade EBN. Small nests which we normally grade as patahan were offer Rm1480 which is wuite good but then big nests also quoted at Rm1480....... they should have provided at least 2 buyers otherwise, the organizers shouldn't have asked the BH owners to bring the EBN there and a waste of time...

You were there, how the climate?

I am trying to get the Association here to organize true auction where few buyers will try to outbid others for the EBN. I have all planned.

1. Buyers must deposit Rm1K in order to allow to bid and any buyer not paying deposit in advance are not allow to bid.
2. Buyers who fail to turn up will have their deposit forfeited.
3. The Auction can only start with at least 2 buyers.
4. Sellers shall be allow to put up lowest selling price on their EBN and if there is no buyer at the price, the seller must reduces the price or remove his nests from being auction.
5. The Association may charge a min. fee of Rm10 for each kilo sold paid by the buyers deducted from the deposit paid to the Association. Balance to be return to the buyers.

any comment on my suggestion

Great! If auction can boost price then all well for the small BH owners which we all are concerned as for the Big Ranchers, they don't need anyone to help to sell their nests.........they got their way ans some even already have runners to export to China on their own. It is the small farmers that we all are and of concern esp. those having lesser than 20K........getting lousy deals.

If you have over 100K nests, you can get the Boss from china to come here and buy from you. Don't know if this Boss from China will come but he did told me so. That's why I think that many big ranchers like J and M that have so many BHs, more than many times their small factories can clean and still have their men are buying EBN now..

I do agree with you but the very reason that many BH owners don't actually understand the structure of EBN pricing and true market value of EBN. Only in open market that we all can see if the sellers do get fair price and many times, buyers even pay very low price for EBN just by scaring or telling sellers that their EBN is slightly brownish or alittle shit or alittle smaller by cutting afew hundreds off the price initially suggested by the buyers.

The most said phase is that your EBN is alittle wet and why totally dried EBN also at the same price. The last time was worst of all, buyers were telling BH owners that the price fall below RM1K at Kelantan and price still dropping badly and advice sellers here to sell fast or otherwise no buyers.

Once, one of buyers did talk to my friend over coffee and told him that Kelantan price was Rm1.2K for quality AB and I told him off by wanting to buy over his over 100K EBN stock at hand at Rm1.2K/Kg. He immediately told me to go to KB to buy but I insist to buy his EBN and did told him that his EBN weren't good quality EBN. He left without saying another word and since then he never visit me again. So you see, many BH owners are easily scare of the SKY IS FALLING story.

Just another story to share.

Great News but then we cannot export without all the documentations as required.
If you are right then we farmers should at least get Rm4K for our nests even after less the documentation, cleaning if required and transportation included.

Sell your BHs, take the money and pay the corrupted G. men to obtain approval and be a middleman to become rich cos you can never become rich as a BH onwer as all price are controlled by the middlemen. Same like our vegetable farmers getting peanuts and the middle men getting richer or ARE YOU THE SAINT ABLE TO HELP US?

First time very slow
Many times quite fast
over the years like my spouse, very fast........I only eat and sell home made nests.

She's my production manager and I, the sell manager.... when you get use to it like she does, you are dammed good and fast and my only regret that I make lousy sellman.

100% pure
100% safe
0% additive or chemical
100% featherless where can you get in the market????????

Consumers can contact me ,,,hahaha selling EBN here lah as I get Rm4K for cleaned EBN and just 1.5K for unprocessed one. Regret less local buyers for cleansed EBN otherwise, I go full time selling EBN for a living. Good profit and honest buz.

Everything up except Birdnest. Maybe, for those who have not much of nests, cut your losses and quit cos rental also naik. Convert your BH to budget hotel or just rent it out; better income, less problem, no maintenance and heart attack maybe.

As long as they don't allow free market flow of fresh EBN, our EBN cannot go up. With restriction here and there, only those with alot of EBN can survive the storm.

Even the federal Dato President is organizing EBN auction but to make profit on poor farmers. Entrance isn't free and all transaction will be charge 1%. Transaction charge may justify the cost of holding the auction but why entrance fee? If invited buyers do really give good and fair price to EBN farmers, I believe most farmers don't mind paying the 1% commission for the transaction.

As Usual, Malaysian sure boleh!!!
Like our Past PM , Dr. M who has the biggest mouth of all; small country PM but can talk so big like the President of USA.

Malaysia acted like we are the biggest producer of EBN but we only produce 20% and we want to control the world"s EBN market.
IF Malaysian Authorities allow free market for EBN then, we wouldn't be facing these difficulties now and what China know today are really told by us and now the Chinese are smarter and demand more by taxing and make more requirements for EBN export to China.

Even now Indo EBN are allow in to China, I believe that the damages are done, thanks to Malaysian smart ALeks. Now, all suffer and only the exporters and China Authorities gain.

It's may take more years for the market to pick up as consumers in China were without EBN for many years and they must have forgotten about the goodness of birdnests. I truly hope that I maybe wrong in my forecast of the EBN situation as I am also one of the sufferers.