(no black dots, wood eye, etc. All pre-selected )
(workers doing QC. Bad planks are taken all. One by one checked)
( the bigger the timber the better. Timbers are scar even the small ones are taken)
( crack wood and stain ones are cut out and removed)Few days ago I got call from my reader that 70% of his nesting planks have fungus. I asked him, “How long has your farm operated?” His reply was “just 1 month.”
He told me in fact he had suspected something not right with the planks after it was delivered to him. Since he had bought it and wouldn’t want to waste them so he installed them anyway.
Now he has to remove them. Not only had he wasted the money spent on the fungus plank but also the money to employ people to remove and install the new one.
Still have fungus and mould problem? I thought that was history and never exist anymore. Why people have the tendency of repeating mistakes over and over again. Perhaps they enjoy doing it.
No wonder even with the harshest punishment and the toughest law people still committing crime and not fearing being sent to jail. Even if they did after jail term or released they still repeat the same crime. I guess this is human nature and we can’t change this.
Similar with Nesting planks, knowing those poor quality Meranti plank which flooded the market (90%) are of guarantee to grow mould and fungus yet they still use it. Simply they believe that all planks are of the same. I can bet with you with my entire life asset there are not the same. Even we are all human but physically, mentally, psychologically and so on we are not the same. I hope Swiftlet farmers do understand this. If you don’t then Swiftlet farming is not your cup of tea and I suggest that you shouldn’t get involved.
Often I still see failed farms with planking problem. Majority willing to spend hundred of thousand on the farm construction but when it comes to nesting plank they still use those poor and cheap planks.
Some paid premium price for good quality Meranti planks but were supplied with poor and cheap planks because they don’t know how to identify and differentiate them. Many believed that Meranti Bukit is the answer but even Meranti bukit won’t guarantee no fungus if there are not treated properly in the saw mill.
Most paid for the name only “Meranti” but received other kind of woods. There was once I told one of my readers if you think and believe it is Meranti then it is Meranti….ha..ha…
Do you know how many types of Meranti wood (trees) ? …there are hundreds of them go and check of the web.
I came across many planks suppliers who have very little knowledge about planks. Most of them are middlemen just wanting to earn extra bucks. Technically when you ask them the genre name of the wood they can’t tell you. If they don’t even know their products well then how could they sell you good products?
Last week I was invited to visit a saw mill specialized in Nesting Planks to check out their planks products. Their collecting of Nesting Planks is not bad and they do QC on all planks that are to be delivered to customers. There are no wood eye, no crack, etc. All are of high quality grade.
The only setback is the availability of stock. The good ones sometimes have to be pre-ordered. Good woods are scar now. It is hard to get them. Sometimes we have to wait for months. Nowadays It is hard to get those dark red qualities which I used to purchase for my own Swiftlet farms many years ago. Nevertheless if compared to other Planks suppliers I still give 2 thumbs up for this saw mill.
So when it comes to Nesting Planks there is no guessing game. Your farms may have the best micro and everything is at perfection if your planks are infested with fungus then that is the end of your farms.
Good Swiftlet farming All!
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