Wow sam.... u really knows alot and u willing to share.
Normally ppl who done swiftlet business not willing to share as they sked their idea copy by ppl and then affected their income...
This is happening in my hometown right now.

Yeah, I know what you mean about people not wanting to share and people who appear willing to share but may have the hidden motivation to lead you astray. I can remember that during my 6 months of research and travelling to learn more about swiftlet farming, I just couldn't believe that there are so many such people here in Malaysia. What's their proplem anyway? Don't they know that the greater the number of sucessful swiftlet farms there are in Malaysia, the better and more profitable this indsutry will become and the greater the chances of new swiftlets from other farms visiting and staying in theirs. The goverment will also afford the swiftlet farming industry better recognition as one of the elements driving our country's export performance if the industry can show that it is exporting more and more edible birds nests overseaas. Aaah... headache man.

I've also heard from some of my friends in China that the supply of edible birds nests there have become so limited that only around 20% to 25% of demand edible birds nests are being fulfilled by exporters from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. So the more swiftlet farms there are the better we, as swiftlet farmers, can help to fulfill this demand. If birds nests become too expensive due to the constant lack of supply, the market for this birds nests may start to turn away and look for some other product substitutes and this may end up hurting all swiftlet farmers. It's only a question of economics.

Sam

Sam, your 3 & 5 years old farms are 80% and up occupied? I believe they're making quite some profits each month. Normally a successful swiftlet farm can pay up the capital within the first 2 years. So I guess yours is making $ minus the very low monthly utility bills. How long is your duration of harvest and guano clean-up?
As for mine I'm still waiting for Nest Tech to send me their formulated 45degree planks. Have to use theirs as sample to match the grooves to be made on my main nesting planks. Most probably I'll go for "Meranti Bukit" because not many choice of meranti to choose from local plank supplier. I might order from Kota Bharu supplier since I heard some of them have 0.7" thick x 6 inch planks. Cheaper and lighter in weight.
My under construction farm is very small. 32' x 19' for nesting area. I'm doing it DIY because budget limited. I took over this 1 year+ tiny farm from friend. No swiftlet stay in at all for 1 year+. Only guano from those test out the farm and left. The farm has many problems to be fixed. My job is to re-renovate and change whatever that's not right. The main problem is the farm is a store-room+swiftlet farm. 1/4 occupied by unused steel air-ducts, company old ledgers, account paper works... files etc etc... With those stuff inside they're generally doing rat and cockroach farming. Not swiftlet. Now I'm clearing up the area and refurbish the place.
Roof top prison tower style entrance with two 3'x3' holes facing north/south. Tower size 4'x4' down to a small roving area before entering nesting area.
Crystal Swiftlet - Do they use their CS Swiftlet Farming Mating Potions in your farms? After constructed your farms how long is their warranty period given? Any after sales services & charges?
I have Dr. Chris' book and 3 books from Mr. Phang Kam Wah. Mr.Phang's books really "advertise" their own product a lot. I think I'm going to order Crystal Swiftlets book as well. Interested in that 32 degree C surviving farm. As I'm in headache of lowering the farm temperature in this April. Hottest month of the year. Humidity can achieve 75%RH but temp highest can hit 31.6 degree. Planning to add timer controlled 12" exhaust fan but unsure of how effective it is.

This post has been edited by seeseng: Apr 6 2007, 04:07 PM

our problem is...the guideline for swiftlet from Federal Gov is not suitable to follow.. u can built in shoplot but not in house... some cases i enforce becouse many people think this industry make lot of problem.. expecially on sound and the shit will coz of viruses(just a thought those naif)

before the guideline...we here just bring to court... but rite now...we legellise this think and lisences it. So make sure u got lisence in Manjung coz in 2/3 month we will do some exercise to tracking those are dont have any lisences.

This piece of equipment is called Hygrostat. It's an ON/OFF switch trigger by humidity. e.g we set the hygrostat to 80% RF. It will stop the current flow to your humidifier when it detects the humidity is 80%RF and will run again if humidity fall below 80%. Very good for humidity control.
Normally in swiftlet farms people use timer switch to control the humidifier. Will auto off at time where natural humidity is high enaugh. But on rainy days humidity is high too but timer controlled would fail its purpose. Over humid will results in molds on nesting planks, nest become yellowish hence grade fall.

This post has been edited by seeseng: Apr 6 2007, 11:07 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)

Hi seeseng,

All my farms are not yet full. There's still quite a fair bit of space for new swiftlets to nest in. According to the timetable given to me, I go in to both my farms once month to collect the nests. My 5 year old farm is doing better than my 3 year old farm, as can be expected - about 4 to 5kgs from the 5 year old one and 1 to 1.5kgs for the 3 year old one. Even if they both don't upgrade (touch wood... hehe), I'm really happy with their performance... the farms have helped me pay ofs the construction and design costs as well as have become valuable assets for me to leave to my 4 children when I'm gone. However, I'm feeling abit daring again to establish another farm... but my wife is really nagging me about not taking aon ny more chllenges and to stick to my retirement... just as well, got to get my colestrol level lower.

Well, your farm sounds a bit small, but the size should't matter much. What I've learnt about successful swiftlet farms is that as long as you get the design of your farm correct and that it's not noo hot, even swiftlet farms that have internal temperatures of more than 32 degrees celsius have swiftlets breeding in them. The most important thing is that we must install a reliable and good swiftlet sound system together with high quality tweeters in the farm in order to attract swiftlets to breed in them.

Just like my accounting profession, the use of advance accounting software allowed my firm to compile accounting information more quickly and efficiently as compared to recording the transactions by hand. a good swiftlet sound system together with high-end tweeters will be able to play swiftlet chirps more clearly and realistically than an average sound system ever will. Try not to use cheaper alternatives if you can... IC callers, DVD players, CD players, modified car amplifiers just can't compete when a new swiftlet farm that has a good swiftlet sound system is set-up close to yours.

All in all, I purchased about 100 litres of CS Mating Potion and sprayed the solution according to the timetable given to me by the poeple at Crystal Swiftlets. From my observations over these last few years, the mating potion actually works. Many swiftlets from other farms that flew into my new farms when I had turned on the swiftlet sound tended to stay and breed within my farms very quickly and stopped going back to their old ones. The visiting swiftlets really like like the aroma from the mating potions. At the same time, after every breeding cycle, I go into my farms and spray the mating potions all over so that when the baby swifts leave my farms to fly off, they will not be able to get used to any other farms that do not spell like mine. It's really working so far, as I see alot of baby swiftlets returning to my farms in the evenings. I know this strategy sounds devious, but it's free competition right? Also, one good thing about Crystal Swiftlets, is that they assured me that they have a company policy not to sell the mating solution to any farms within 5 km vicinity of mine. As long as this policy doesn't change, I'm quite confident that my farms will continue to grow and update.

Meranti Bukit should be alright as nesting planks. Swiftlets have sharp claws so they can pearch on anything that is abit rough. You are headed in the correct direction. Keep up the ethusiasm. Your farm will definitely reward you in the near future.

Sam

seeseng... where can i get it and how much??

How much for the mating potion costs??? interested on that.
I see you mention alot of sounds and those equipment... but you seldom mention about the brightness... can give some idea??
Thanks man.

appreciate ur participation and ur opinions here. makes good reference for other budding entrepreneurs.

anybody ever did a study on the feasibility, nutrition and market study for swiftlet meat?

Agree with weihow_2000 too. Even in Mr. Phang's 3 books and 2 DVD I have. They still keeping something to themselves only.

This post has been edited by seeseng: Apr 8 2007, 10:54 AM

Sam,
Yes my farm is small. I call it store-room converted farm. It's my first farm. But it won't be my only farm in future. It will be my stepping stone into this field. I've collected a few swiftlet chirping CDs and one of them is from a farmer who own more than 5 successful farms. I will use that one for mine. Existing tweeters too small in size. Already found a good non-magnetic tweeter @RM5/pcs better sound quality, no hissing. Will add punched aluminium sheet on each of them. Artificial nests will be used to increase populations. I read in Dr. Chris forum that an Indonesian forumer said the mating potion is made of fish oil + duck egg as main ingrediant and kept the other ingrediant such as anti-ant a secret. Crystal Swiftlet selling the potion @RM350 / 5 liter as far as I know. I'll consider to use potion after the construction finished. Nest Tech also selling their own potions. weihow_2000 if you're interested here's the price list:
Ammonia RM220 / 5Liter
Swiftlet aroma RM340 / 4Liter
Swiftlet hormone RM280 / 5Liter
Swiftlet love potion RM340 / 4Liter
Also today I've received the hormone smell 45 degree angle planks from Nest Tech. They're really come with smell. They soaked the 0.7 inches Meranti Kepong wood in their secret formulated potion for 7 hours to make that planks. Made their fastest record of 5 completed nest in 3 months time in their experimental farm. Meranti Kepong is really soft. Made me think twice of choices of wood. Tomorrow will ask supplier to send me Meranti Bukit sample for comparison.



Attached thumbnail(s)


Attached image(s)

Weihow_2000, regarding the hygrostat I'm still waiting for reply from supplier. From another forum there's a guy ordered from Tanjung Balai Indonesia @RM550/set. If my supplier can find one should be cheaper than that.
Introducing another piece of swiftlet farming gadget - Infra-Red Thermometer. It's useful for DIY farmers and consultants. It uses laser pointer to measure temperature of areas hard to reach such as walls and ceiling. It's useful when our over heated farm cause by an un-proper covered/concealed part of the wall/ceiling. Just point and click and instantly we know the surface temperature. To anyone interested to buy, my supplier have 2 types. E-Sun China and TES from Taiwan. E-Sun RM-520 @RM285 , TES 1326 @RM385 both including shipping to your door step. Both using 1x 9V battery.


Attached thumbnail(s)


Attached image(s)

My farms are usually kept at a light intensity factor of 2 to 3 lux. That's not very bright... maybe around the glare of the luminious paint from a wristwatch inside a dark room. Some swiftlets also nest near the entrance hole of my farms where the light intensity is alot brighter... so I do think that trying to achieve total darkness may be quite marginal.

Yeah, I truly agree that quite alot of swiftlet farmers and consultants always want to keep something to themselves even after we have paid them alot of money for their consultation and advice.

But let's not let them get the better of us. Just remember, swiftlet farming is like any other industry... it takes alot of research and a great deal of common sense, not to mention hard work to see it through to fruitation. The common sense being that these swiftlets are animals with their own natural habits and charatetricstics. Their natural habitat is in caves... so lets' renovate our swiftlet farms into cave like environments to make it conducive for them to breed in. Anything else that these swiftlet consultants seem to be hiding, which doesn't not square with our common sense and logical thought, should probably continue to remain hidden. They can have it. No sense designing and installing the illogical into our swiftlet farms.

What do you guys think? Too simplistic a view?

Sam

---

Added on April 9, 2007, 11:27 amWow, you've really done heaps of research seeseng. Good on you.Sound's like you are beginning to know more about swiftlet farming than those swiftlet farming consultants seem to do.

Dr. Chirs has a forum? Is it online? It would be great if you could forward me the link if there is one.

I'm not too sure what's inside the mating potions... but it has a real pungent cave like smell. I spilled some of it on my hand the other day and it took 2 days to get it off. Even my wife seem to not want to come near me during that time... hehe. Confirm that the price is RM350 per 5 litres.

If you can, better not spray ammonia into your farm. Most ammonia solutions in the market are quite strong (even when diluted), and the vapours really hurt the eyes of the swiftlets living within the farm.

The photos you uploaded are quite informative, especially the tweeter with the metal piece on it. How much are you paying for the nesting planks? Are they affordable?

Sam

This post has been edited by swiftletfarm: Apr 9 2007, 11:27 AM

RM550 is too expensive.
Is just a plug with some minor electronic device to control it...

Wow... 5 litres for RM350.
5 liters can use how long? Can mixed with water to spray??

2 to 3 lux is exactly the ideal light intensity for swiftlet farm. Total darkness won't have any advantage over that.
Just talked to a friend running a 5 yrs old farm last night. His is a joint venture with consultant style. The consultant manage everything down to harvesting and selling. My friend doesn't know much about market price. The consultant is giving him RM3K/Kg price. I think the consultant is giving him very low price. Isn't that price for grade C or D nest?? Any comment? And FYI his farm is doing less than 1kg per month. For double storey shop house that's consider not so productive.
Dr. Chris' forum is written in his book "About the author" page. It's a members only forum for existing farmers and readers of his book only. - http://groups.google.com/group/swiftlet
The 45 degree hormone smell plank is RM3.80 a piece. If it really works double the price is still consider affordable.
I'm currently finding an insecticide call Fendona FC. It's odourless liquid, human and bird friendly. To prevent termites in the farm. Anyone know where to get?
Typo correction: Fendona FC. Not Fedona FC

This post has been edited by seeseng: Apr 10 2007, 03:05 PM

wow... the Fedona FC is so hard to find... i try to google it but i can't found as well...

No lah... got to use it as it is, can't mix with anything. I usually use all 5 litres up within 2 months...

Sam

does nesttech sell any similar potion?? when we have to apply the potion? during breeding season?

i try to join into the group.... unfortunately i cant join... they will ask some question for verifications....