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(The lower PVC in longer and tilted. Water will drip back into the Humidifier)
( Or buy one like in the picture if the farm's floor has water proofing it cost about Rm120.00 *s.steel)Mould and fungus problem are common in Switlets farm because the micro in the farm promotes and support them to grow.
The Rh of 75% and above and Temp of 26-30C and the dark environment are good place for mould and fungus to grow.
Now especially with all gadgets like Sprinkles, Mist maker, Chicken coop Humidifier, etc. to increase the Rh in farms you can’t avoid mold and fungus and they are parts of the micro habitat.
Furthermore 9 out of 10 farms in this industry are not using planks that are resistant to mould and fungus. Though most claimed to be the so called Meranti but you won’t be surprised it is not. For a mere Rm1600.00- 2600.00 don’t expect you get good stuff. If yes the consultant and the saw mill would have gone bankrupt long time ago. Yes they still give you Meranti but the lower grade one mixed with OT (other wood).
Good grade woods don’t come that cheap and good ones all are catered for export or to be made furniture and won’t ended up in Swiftlet farm as for export it will fetch many time higher the price.
Some may even argue that if fungus can't grow that means it is hard wood. Bird can't and don't like to make nest on hardwood (claimed by a very famous consultant). You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know whether such statement make sense or otherwise.
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Swiftlets make nests in cave of hard lime stone isn't it? Isn't it contradict to statement of "birds don't like to make nest on hardwood"? What is the grove or line crafted on the planks for? for decoration?
It is for easy perching of swiftlets, so that theirs claws could easily hold onto the line or grove of the woods. With the groves and lines it doesn't matter how hard the woods are anymore. Therefore with lines and groves people now are using Aluminium, concrete and even marble as nesting planks.As long with lines and groves you can use any hard materials that are odourless, dust free,etc.
Good quality woods can be dunked in water for years and there is no sign of deteriorating. In Mushroom Farming certain woods can't be use to grow Mushroom because in Even such damp and wet condition it still can't grow mold and fungus. So if the nesting planks are of good quality woods then mold and fungus are history.
My supplier of nesting planks used to advise me to to clean the nesting planks with spray gun of high pressure water after each renovation. Imagine what kind of quality woods I am using?
So whatever it is your farm is already done, so to reduce the growth of fungus best to modify the humidifier especially the Chicken coop Humidifier (CCH) so that the mist doesn’t hit the planks directly.
To me the CCH is one of the best. Its long lasting, low maintenance (or no maintenance), easy to install, fast increase of Rh and reasonable price.
But it also has the disadvantages, noisy and strong blower that creates wind that pushes up all mist to the planks.
There are few ways to prevent this. One of them is a brilliant idea from one of my good friends also my reader Mr.F. He is an industrial designer himself. He modifies the CCH a unique way. He uses the PVC pipe the lower part is longer so that the dripping of water won’t fall on to the floor and wet them. I think many people knew how to prevent the mist from hitting the planks but to reduce the wetness of the floor I guess none has done that.
Some may put the CCH in a big bucket or a vinyl sheet under the CCH to prevent the floor from wet because water would sip thru to the lower floor and wet the planks.
This simple modification by Mr.F would solve or reduce the water dripping on to the floor.
This is the kind of initiative or creativeness we need in Swiftlet Farming. Thanks you Mr.F.
When I visited his farm last month I jokingly told him “You should patent it before someone copies it and make mass production”.
Good Farming All.
(或買一個像在圖片的，如果燕屋農場的地板是有防水設施的，它的花費是RM120.00 *不銹鋼) .
青苔和真菌的問題在燕屋農場是普通的，因為燕屋農場的屋内環境促進並且支持他們的增長。
26-30C和黑暗的環境，75%以上的濕度和溫度是青苔增長的合适场所和真菌。
现在特别是有洒水器，薄霧製造器，鸡舍的潤濕器等等增加您燕屋農場的濕度，青苔是不可能避免的，並且真菌和他們是微棲所的一部分。
此外，9個在10個燕屋農場不是使用對青苔和真菌有抵抗性的板條。 雖声称多數是使用所謂的Meranti，但是它不是而您是不會驚奇。 為僅僅RM1600.00- 2600.00您不期望得到好的材料。 如果是的話，那顧問和锯木厂早就破產了很久了。他們仍然是給您Meranti，但是，是與其他木頭混合更低的等级(其他木頭)。
好等级的木板是不便宜的，好的那些全部都是出口，要不然被做成家具，並且出口可以得到更高的價格。
也有一些爭論說，如果不長青苔，它便是堅硬的木。 燕子是不在硬木做窩(由一位非常著名的顧問說的)。 您不需要是科學家來明白這個道理。
燕子不是在堅硬的灰岩洞做窩嗎？ 那不就是對抗辯 “燕子不喜歡在硬木做窩“ 的道理了嗎 ？ 那些在板條上的細紋是作什麼作用的？ 為裝飾？ 它是為了讓燕子容易抓住棲息，因此他們才能容易地抓住板條。 有了細紋，再堅硬的板條也不再是问题。 所以現在也有人用有細紋的鋁，泥水和大理石當板條。只要是有細紋您可以使用任何材料，只要是無氣味的，無灰塵的所有堅硬材料等等。
优良品质的板條可以泡在水中多年，並且沒有惡化的现象。 在種田种植蘑菇某些板條是不可以用的，因為這樣潮濕和濕的情况下它仍然还是不会生長青苔和真菌。 因此，如果板條是优良品质的，那青苔和真菌无可能的。我的板條的供應商勸告我，每次整修以後用高壓喷水枪来清洗板條。 想像我使用的是什麼樣質量的板條？
您的燕屋農場已經是做了，因此，来減少青苔最好修改潤濕器特别是鸡舍潤濕器(CCH)，以便薄霧不直接地擊中板條。
對我而言，CCH是最好的。 它持久，低維修(或完全沒有維修)，容易安裝，快速的增加濕度和合理的价格。
但是，它也有缺點如，喧鬧，強的吹風機制造更多的風到板條的。
它是有几个方式来防止。 其中一個精采的想法是從我的一個好朋友也是我的讀者F先生。 他是一位工業設計師。 他修改了CCH成为一個獨特的方式。 他使用低部是更長的PVC管子，以便水不會滴落對地板並且不會弄濕他們。 我想許多人會防止薄霧擊中板條，但是減少地板濕水我猜是没什么人会这样做的。
一些人会放CCH在一個大桶或防濕纸，来防止弄濕地板因為水会漏過低层並且弄濕板條。
由F先生的這个簡單的修改將解決滴下的水到地板。
這是一个有主動性和有创意的，我們在燕屋農場是需要这样的思想。 謝謝您F先生。
上個月當我參觀他的燕屋農場时，我開玩笑地告訴他「您應該定下專利否则别人可能複製它並且做大量生产」。大家有好燕屋。