Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Where To Attach The Internal Tweeter ?

First of all, i want to wish all my reader a Happy New Year and sorry for not post any article this few day due to very busy to finish all in hand project and closing my end year account.
I received a lot of sms that asking where is the best place to attach the internal tweeter and why ? So today i want to share with you about this issue.
1) I prefer to attach the internal tweeter at the corner board ! You can verify it by my old posting pictured.
Why ?
Because all the bird that going to stay at our BH is young bird. They will find that is easy to built a nest at the corner then the middle !!! They can built it more faster so we can produce more bird in one year time right !!!!!!!
2) How many tweeter that need to attach at the nesting area ?
As many as you can. Normally , i will attach about 100 with the size of 20 feet X 60 feet.
Why ?
Because one tweeter only can share with 2 bird only. If you attach only 4 tweeter, then you just can attract only 8 bird in one time !!! So how long it take to make your BH full house ????? But if you attach 100, then in one time, you can attract 200 bird, so by calculation, in 1 year time , you can attract about 600 bird. In 3 year time, your BH will be full house !!!!!!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

White Color Swiftlet

This morning about 11am i when to visit the farm that have a white swiftlet. This farm is located near Alor Setar farm. This farm is converted from a old shop lot with the size only 20 X 60 feet only. This BH is design only with about 30X20 feet roving area and 30X20 feet nesting area only .




After visit this white swiftlet, we when to Bm to monitor this project. This project already 95% finish and just waiting the sound system to be connected.



After visit the BM project, we when to visit one more land that want to built a standalone BH. This land is located at Bukit Merah. After we do the bird call test, i think about 1000 bird are response.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Rush To Modify A Sick Swiftlet House

Today, wake up about 7am and go to pick the worker to modify one sick bird house that is located Near Jitra Kedah. This bird house is converted from a shop lot. The size is about 20 X 60 feet. Before we modify it, the humidity is 58 to 63 % only. After we modify it, it increase to 81 to 85 %.

We need to finish it today because we just sign up two more standalone BH that is located at Kedah. Tomorrow we also need to visit a land that going to built one more standalone bh Near Bukit Merah. During this trip, we will stop by to visit BM project and visit one modify BH that produce about 1000 nest in two year time only and what is so special about this BH is the owner just call me and told me that in this BH have a white colour baby swiftlet !!!!!!! I will share the pictured to you tomorrow.

Below is the pictured of this modify bird house.
The worker is putting up the siling board on the top of this nesting plank to reduce the gap between the nesting plank and the siling.
Below pictured show the worker is connecting the speaker.This pictured show what we did to reduce the temperatures and the humidity. Above the nesting plank is the siling board. Above the siling board is 2 inch poly form.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

New Operated Swiftlet House

Finally, we start to operated a new converted swiftlet house. This House is located at Kebun 500 , about 30 minute drive from Alor Setar town. This BH is about 20 feet x 60 feet.

Before we convert it, the room temperature is about 34 to 40. But after we convert it, the temperature is drop from 26 to 31 only. I did not place any humidity m/c in this house due to the humidity already in the good range 70 to 89.

This is a factory building. We convert from A Furniture factory. We switch on the sound about 930am and only not more then 20 bird are response. But about 730pm this evening, the owner call me and told me about 10 to 20 bird are in the BH Now.

I hope are this new bird will stay there and hope more and more will coming.

Friday, December 19, 2008

More About Swiftlet House in this Kelantan Trip...


From the pictured, you can see this is one of the sick Bird House that i visit during the Kelantan Trip. This swiftlet house is located near Sg Kelantan and have a lot of swiftlet there but no one is enter this house.
The pictured i show is the " Rumah Monyek " or " Dog Kernell " of this house. The size is about 12 feet X 25 feet. The entrance hold is at the middle of this house and have a small pool is attach below it? So what is the problem ?
1) The entrance hold should place at the corner to reduce the light and can make the swiftlet fly with more space.
2) The attach pool make the light reflect when the bird want to come in, they will be scare away.
3) The hold between the floor is too far away and too small only 4 X 5 feet only.
4) The tweeter that the owner place are wrong!
The above is only my opinion of his bird house. If you have any ideal, please sms or emal me. Thank.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Kelantan Trip

Yesterday we went to Kelantan to verify the located that want to built a standalone BH. We drive there with Mr S car at 4 am. We manage to get at Tanah Merah Kelantan about 830am. The first place we visit is a small village that is located about 10 minute drive from Tanah Merah. After we do the bird call test, about 30 bird are coming. I ask Mr S to do the test again in the evening and noon to know the flying path of this swiftlet.

After we verify the land, we went to a 3 year old sick bird house. This BH is located besides a "Padi" field. Below is the pictured of this BH:-



The located of this BH is very good. The size of this BH is 60 X 60 feet. This BH owner already 123 years old !!! A very old man. He now asking my help to save his BH.

So , from the pictured, what is wrong of this BH !!!????

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

More ....BH

First of all, Sorry for not post new article this few day because very busy about my electronic shop due to end of year. Besides that, tomorrow i still need to monitor 2 sick BH that is located at Kelantan. And we are busy due to more and more swiftlet farmer is asking our help to design and modify their new and sick BH. Below is 2 more standalone bird house that need to finish before this CNY.


Below pictured is Mr M BH that asking my help to design it and attach the tweeter on it. This BH is located near alor setar town. The sizes of this building is 20 X 80 feet. We need to finish it before CNY. This is another new BH that will finish by end of this month. It belong to Mr N that is located at Simpang Empat, Kedah. Mr N also asking my help to design and attach the sound system to this BH.


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Light Weight Brick

After testing light weight brick, below is the result:-

6 inch X 8 inch X 24 inch = Can reduce heat about 9 C to 11 C

4 inch X 8 inch X 24 inch = Can reduce heat about 4 C to 7 C

Normally it need 75 pcs for 10 feet X 10 feet.

For those who want to order this brick, you can call WC at this number 012-5530071. You will get the discount price that is direct from the factory.

Rising investments in Swiftlet Farming Boost Malaysia's bird nest exports

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/13/business/2770244&sec=business
From The Star Newspaper

Stories By ERROL OH
ALL businesses are built on blood, sweat and tears, at least in the figurative sense. But one industry thrives on another bodily fluid – saliva. Bird saliva, that is. And not just any bird. It has to be the swiftlet, whose nests of hardened spit have been a delicacy treasured by the Chinese for centuries.

Depending on the quality, marketplace and timing, a kilogramme of unprocessed edible bird nest can fetch a few thousand ringgit.
The processing, a tedious and labour-intensive affair, typically doubles the value of the nests. Quoting a senior Sabah government official, a news report early last month says bird nest is sold at RM4,000 to RM18,000 per kg.

The global market is said to be worth billions of ringgit. Thanks to its head start of 20 years or so in swiftlet farming on a commercial scale, Indonesia supplies 70% to 80% of the bird nests consumed worldwide, mainly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Macau, Singapore and North America.

Heng believes swiftlet farming is a great investment opportunity
However, swiftlet farming is an increasingly visible business in Malaysia. Given the high rate of innovation and adoption here, there is a good chance of Malaysia growing its current market share of about 10%.
(Some people use the words ranching or breeding instead of farming. Actually, none is accurate because the operators merely provide a nesting environment for the birds, which come and go freely. Perhaps a more appropriate term is swiftlet hosting.)

Dr Christopher Lim, a nephrologist who has succeeded as a part-time swiftlet farmer and has authored a how-to book on the subject, says there are about 22,000 swiftlet farms (also known as swiftlet hotels, swiftlet houses or birdhouses) in Malaysia. He estimates that there are 200 new ones every month.
This explains the increasing frequency of complaints from residents and business owners about birdhouses in their neighbourhoods.
If you happen to be near swiftlet farms, it will not take you long to notice them. You will hear loud, piercing chirps filling the sky. This comes from CDs that are played to attract the birds. And if you look around, you are likely to spot windowless buildings (usually shophouses) that have been renovated or built to host feathered occupants.

Birdhouse boom
The list of towns that have become known for this activity is lengthening. There are such places in just about every state. What these towns usually have in common are proximity to agricultural and forest land, and relatively low levels of industrial activity.
The first element is important because farms, plantations and jungles support the swiftlets’ diet of flying insects. The lack of factories in the vicinity matters because air pollution is anathema to the birds.
You can find many swiftlet farms in Perak (in Sitiawan, Ipoh, Teluk Intan and Taiping, for example), Pahang (Kuantan, Rompin, Pekan), Kelantan (Kota Baru, Tumpat), Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Besut) and Kedah (Sungai Petani).

Even the more developed states, such as Selangor, Johor and Penang have their share of areas that have attracted investments in swiftlet farming.
Mohammad says guidelines on acceptable practices in swiftlet farming are available
Until recently, the industry in Malaysia had maintained a low profile. The operators that were doing well were unwilling to share information and knowledge. The secrets to profitable swiftlet farming stayed within a tight circle and this was a major barrier to entry.

Still, there is no holding back the desire to make money. Despite the lack of transparency, the trickle of newcomers had eventually led to a critical mass that kicked the doors wide open some five years ago.
The key attraction here is the lure of lucrative returns from a passive investment. The idea is simple – put up a well-designed and well-equipped swiftlet farm at the right spot, and the rest will fall in place. The birds will come and soon, you can keep harvesting their nests for many years.
“It’s a gold mine,” says Mohammad Azimullah, manager of Swiftlets Venture International (SVI), a consultancy outfit.
“You put in RM500,000 and if your location is good, you can net RM1mil a year within four years. Where else in the world can you find such a business?”

Kelvin Heng of Pearlnest, which does trading and consulting work, is convinced that swiftlet farming is currently the best investment opportunity in Malaysia.
He explains: “You invest only once. You don’t have to come out with money every month to pay maintenance and workers’ salaries. If the farm is successful, you can collect thousands of ringgit every month.”

On a wing and a prayer

There are, of course, a lot of ifs and buts to deal within this fledgeling industry. A lot of people have rushed into it and many of them have crashed and burned.
Lim reckons that about 80% of the birdhouses in Malaysia are failed projects.
Mohammad of SVI has a slightly different take. He says the failure rate is 60%, but adds that of the rest, half are considered only marginally successful.
The concept of swiftlet farming is uncomplicated, but the execution is technically challenging if the farmers do not understand what makes the birds tick.

Many parameters determine the suitability of a farm’s location, and these include food availability, weather and geographical conditions, and nearby industrial activities.
The design of the birdhouse can be equally tricky. In the wild, swiftlets nest in caves. So, the idea is to simulate a cave environment, which means temperature, lighting, humidity, smell and space are often make-or-break features.
In addition, well-designed birdhouses make it easy for the swiftlets to fly in and out and to nest. They should also be built in such a way so as to protect the birds from predators and to minimise antagonising the neighbours.

The last objective is crucial because many times, the local authorities have shut down swiftlet farming operations following objections from other rate-payers.
A common problem is the noise from the birdcall recordings. Lim blames this on the farmers’ ignorance.
“If you know how to properly design and run the farms, the neighbours won’t be bothered by the sounds. You want to attract birds, not humans,” he argues.
Heng of Pearlnest agrees: “The farmers turn up the volume like it’s karaoke. You have to be considerate. And you don’t have to play the sound the whole day. There’s no point in that anyway.”
SVI’s Mohammad points out that the Veterinary Services Department and some local authorities have already come up with guidelines on acceptable practices in swiftlet farming. Therefore, the best way for swiftlet farmers to safeguard their investments is to just stick to the rules.
He says: “People should go for purpose-built birdhouses. We never recommend building birdhouses in shophouses.” He foresees that in 10 years, the practice of converting shophouses into bird farms will be outlawed.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

5 Month with 6 nest

Finally, after 5 month, this sick BH get back into track. This BH already 3 year old with no nest and after we modify it, after 2 month, it attack by owl twice and all the bird been kill... However, after we modify again, this bird had recover and the bird are coming back and feel safe to stay here....... Look at the pictured, it already have 2 egg on it and have more then 40 bird shit and 3 more new marker. Very happy that we safe one more sick BH.
Below is another sick BH that located near Kuala Kedah. This BH is a small BH, after we modify it and start open the sound on 21 June 2008, we already have more then 10 bird shit spot. You can verify it by below pictured .....


Progress At the Second Floor And will finish on the End of December




Monday, December 8, 2008

One more New Standalone Bird House At Alor Setar

This bird house is located about 30 minute from Alor Setar town. The size of this bird house is 20 feet X 40 feet. We design this bird house with open roof type due to this area have a very strong wind. The external roving area is 20 X 20 feet and the internal roving area is also the same 20 X 20 feet. The LAL is about 6 feet X 10 feet. This BH will finish before CNY.


A trip to Sg Besar On 7 Dec 2008

Yesterday we went for a trip to Sg Besar. We went to to monitor a land that the owner going to sales it. For the price , you can call me 0125530071. This land located about 10 minute drive from Sg Besar . About 1km from sea. After we did the bird call test for 5 minute only, more then 1000 bird are response. This is a very good place for Swiftlet Farming.
After visit the land, we when to monitor some bird house that located about few minute away from the land. Below is the pictured of the stand alone bird house.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

Alor Setar New Bird House

This is the new bird house that we start to operate about 930am today. I using the new edited external sound. Is a open roof type that we open it at the middle of this shop lot. So, we divide the nesting area into 2 part. The LMB size is about 4 feet X 2 feet. I am using the 2X6 inch tecnic tweeter. This is a small pool that will drain the rain water into the bath room. We plank some water plant in this pool.
This is the open roof. the size of this open roof is 9 feet X 9 feet.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Going to Operate A New Bird House Tomorrow

After few week busy to convert this shop lot into bird house, finally, all is ready and tomorrow we are going to switch on the sound. This shop lot is about 15 year old already. Before we convert it, the internal temperature is 34 to 38 and the humidity is about 50 to 70 only. After we modify it, we manage to reduce the temperature to 27.7 until 29.1 . This data is collected for 1 week time. So, after getting all the data, we decide to operate this BH tomorrow. I will post the latest pictured of this BH to your tomorrow.

This BH is located about 15 minute from alor setar town. The size of this BH is about 20 feet by 70 feet. We design this BH with open roof design to reduce the sound pollution. I am using 3 power amp in this BH. 2 is internal sound and 1 more is external sound. I am using the baby swiftlet sound for the internal and the external i using the polling sound and the baby sound of cause i add some adult sound in this CD. I hope it can manage to attract more bird to this BH.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

5 Day Progress Only

Finally, the Ground floor is finish and just need to wait for the concrete only on this 4 Dec.

Today, Ah Pak in going to monitor all the metal work is in good condition before do the semen concrete.



On 29, the worker finish all the beam.

28 Nov, the worker finish attach the nesting plank.




On 27 Nov, the worker finish the brick for one storey.

On 26 Nov , the worker start to built the light weight brick.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Surabaya Bird House

The Internet line here is very slow. I will post more pictured of the BH at Surabaya. From the pictured, you can see that most of the Bird House LMB is only 15 cm X 60 cm. According to the local, 98% of the BH here is window type and not using Sound system but still got very success BH here. From my observation, the swiftlet here species is not the same with Malaysia. The body of the swiftlet is Grey colour.