HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

May this year of 2013 be….

A year of Health & Happiness

A year of Wealth & Wisdom

A year of Peace & Prosperity

A year of Love & Laughter

And also a year of all Birds Nest restrictions and regulations are lifted.

Thanks you all for your kind support. Without you all there will be no Swiftlet Farming Blog.

Without you all this blog wouldn’t be here.

Happy New Year!

Good Swiftlet Farming All!

Sincerely,

James

DEAD BIRDS WITHOUT HEADS in SWIFTLET FARM! 無頭死燕子在燕屋農場

Dead birds without heads in Swiftlet farm! That is not common but it happens. Mr.Low from Perak desperately wants to know what causes this and which predator so slick that only eat the head and leave the body.

He has asked many Sifus and consultants, surfed the net and forum but no one could confidently answer his question. Most of them assumed …….but no specific answer.

I have realized that I didn’t write about this in my blog and I guess it is good to show and explain what causes dead birds without head in Bh.

First of all the predators have enter the Bh , then attacked the Birds. It shows there are Predators in this Bh. But what kind of Predators that only have the exquisite taste for bird’s head? Many couldn’t answer this because all killings happened inside the Bh during night.  And this happened without the presence of the Bh’s owner. If lucky it may be recorded by the CCTV but most CCTV are not installed inside the nesting areas. Most are installed at the Roving area and Entrance hole and the predators are too slick (too fast) to be recorded.

We could assume Owl, Eagle, etc… Owl and Eagle do attack birds as it is part of their diet. They catch birds with theirs claws, their sharp talons kill the bird instantly and there is no chance for escaping. They hold bird with their claws with their body weight on top forcing onto the bird between their claws. From here they would strip the feathers and tear the meat with their powerful curl beak, feeding on the slices of meat they have torn from the bird’s body. They prefer meat from the body not the head.

It is not easy to find out unless one has experienced such incident before. This predator leaves no trace, unlike the Owl with vomit pellets. They don’t stay long in the Bh, once they have indulgent themselves by ripping of the bird’s heads they would leave immediately (except the birds’ body).    

無頭死燕子在燕屋農場 ！這並不尋常，但它卻發生了。從霹靂的Low先生很心急地想要知道到底是什麼原因導致了這個事情和到底是哪個獵食動物會那麽狡猾，吃了頭只留下殘屍。


他已經問過許多師傅和顧問，在網路和論壇上詢問，但是沒有人可以自信地回答他的問題。大多數都是假定而以..但是沒有明確的答案。

我發現我沒有在我的部落格中寫過這一點，我想它是很好來解說什麼原因導致無頭的死燕子在燕屋農場。

首先，獵食動物已經進入燕屋農場了，然後攻擊燕子。它顯示了在這個燕屋農場有獵食動物。但是，到底是什麼樣的掠食動物，有這樣品味精緻的口味只吃燕子的頭？許多人不能回答這個問題因為撲殺的時間只是在燕屋農場裏夜間發生。而這個事情發生在燕屋主不在燕屋農場的時間。如果幸運CCTV可能會錄下畫面，但是多數的CCTV不安裝在內部的做窩區。大多數都是安裝在環繞區和入口洞，而這個獵食動物實在是太狡猾了(太快）的被錄下。

我們可以假設是貓頭鷹、 老鷹等......貓頭鷹和老鷹會攻擊燕子，因為燕子是它們的食物的一部分。他們用爪子來捕燕子，它們鋒利的爪可以立刻殺死燕子並且沒有逃跑的機會。它們用爪子來握住燕子，用其體重來把燕子逼緊在它的爪子之間。從這裡它們會把羽毛拔掉，然後用它們強大捲曲的喙來把肉撕裂、 飼喂它們的肉片。它們更喜歡身上的肉，而不是它的頭。

並不容易找出，除非我們之前遇到這種事件。這種類型的獵食動物不會留下跟蹤，不像貓頭鷹一樣留下嘔吐物顆粒。它們不會在燕屋農場停留長的時間，一旦它們縱情的把燕子頭吃掉，它們就會立即離開(除了燕子的身體)。

                                                ( Dead Bird without head)  (無頭的死燕子)

       ( The Predator Love the head , without eating the body)  （獵食動物只愛吃頭、 不吃身體）

So what is the cause of dead birds without head in Bh? The answer is…….. Civet cat. Civet cat likes birds’ brain. They are naturally born with the love for small animal heads. They like crushing the skull of small animals. Civet cat is omnivorous, large portion of their diet are fruits but occasionally they hunt for small birds and small mammals. Given the opportunity of a Bh with many birds inside which is easy prey, they would turn the Bh their favorite hunting ground for brain and skull.

到底是什麼原因導致無頭的死燕子在燕屋農場？答案是...果子狸。果子狸喜歡燕子的腦袋。它們天生就是熱愛小動物的頭。它們喜歡把小動物的頭骨破碎。果子狸是雜食性動物，它們的飲食的很大一部分是水果，但是偶爾它們會尋找小的鳥類和小型的哺乳動物。鑒於燕屋農場裡面有很多燕子所以是容易捕食，它們會把燕屋農場成爲它們的狩獵場有大量的頭腦和顱骨。





(The above movie shows how a young Civet Cat eats bird. Crushing and chewing the head as it likes the brain. Most bodys are left behind. It is eating a sparrow, it does the same to Swiftlets)

(上述的影片顯示年輕的果子狸如何吃小鳥。咬碎和嚼頭小鳥的頭，因爲它喜歡其大腦。大部分的殘尸都留下。它正在吃一隻麻雀，對燕子也是同樣的)

It doesn’t mean Bhs located in urban areas are safe from this Skillful and cunning predator. Both Bhs in rural and urban are alike. Few years ago I caught a Civet cat in my house ceiling. For your information I live in an urban town call Subang Jaya.

I have been hearing noisy sound in the night. It came from the ceiling, sometimes rough scratches sound and like someone walking in the ceiling. It really scared me. It happens almost every night. Civet cat would be the least that I suspected. I am living in a town not in a plantation or a Kampong. Few days later I went up the ceiling with a flashlight and to my surprise I found some shits near the water tank. They must have liked the cool area there. I thought it was cat shits as my neighbors love cats. It is common to see cats sneak into my kitchen looking for food. As I look closer I discover it is not cat shit. As an animal lover myself, I really have interest in this and I could easily differentiate them. I knew it is Civet cat.

                                                                                                                       

The next day I made a cage big enough for an adult cat to sit in it, with the features similar to the small cages that we used to catch mice but with rubber tube from my old bicycle as the spring. I put some bananas tying them together with some chicken meat and hooked it onto the release hook in the cage. I place the cage inside the ceiling at 9.30 pm, this is the time where the rough sound often came.

After setting up the trap, I went out to meet a reader who came all the way from Singapore. He had called me many times, he wants my consultation on the design of his soon to be Bh in T.Karang which he has a piece of land there. Minutes into our discussion my wife calls me, she was in panic. She asked me to come back as soon as possible, she was frighten by the violence sound from the ceiling. I have to cut short the meeting and I promised that I will be back in an hour time or more.

I went up the ceiling, the moment I flash the light onto the cage I see this big dark fur cat inside the cage. It was a Civet cat. It tried to escape violently banging the cage with its head. I knew if this going to go on the Civet cat would injure itself so I took a cloth and cover the cage before I took the cage down. (The Civet cat has been surrendered to Perhilitan)

This is what happened in my house. So don’t think that Bhs located  in town there will be no Civet cats.

Besides this I have also seen cats, Stray Cats attacking birds. They share the same behavior as Civet cat and cat both like skull and brain. Some Stray cats don’t eat the head but just enjoy crushing and chewing them. This is their animal instinct and behavior.

This often happened to Open roof type Bh or Bh Entrance hole without spikes or nails. Civet cat could easily enter these Bhs thru the Entrance hole.

So now you know why your Bhs have Dead Birds without Heads.

Note: You could trap the Civet cat with Cage make sure the cage is big enough.

 Good Swiftlet Farming All!

這並不代表位於城市地區的燕屋農場是安全的，對於這些熟練和狡猾的獵食動物。在農村和城市的燕屋農場都是一樣。幾年前，我在我家的天花板抓到一只果子狸。讓大家知道我住在一個城市鎮叫做梳邦再也。


在夜裡我經常聽到一些嘈雜的聲音。它使從天花板來的，有時候一些粗糙劃痕的聲音，有時候好像有人在天花板走動。它真的嚇唬我了。幾乎每個夜晚都是這樣。最沒有懷疑到的就是果子狸。我住在一個城鎮而不是一個種植園或甘榜。幾天後我拿了一個手電筒爬上我的天花板，令我驚訝的發現在水箱的附近有一些糞便。它們一定是很喜歡那裡涼爽的地區。我以為這是貓屎因爲我的鄰居很愛貓。是很普通的情況看見貓偷偷跑入我的廚房尋找食物。當我看清楚的時候我發現它不是貓屎。作為動物的愛好者，我對這方面真的很有興趣和很容易地可以區分。我就知道它是果子狸。

第二天，我做了一個可以容下一只大貓的籠子，它的功能類似小的籠子，我們用來捉老鼠的那些，但卻用了我的舊腳踏車的橡膠管來作為彈簧。我把一些雞肉和香蕉綁在一起，它掛接到籠子裡的釋放鉤上。我把籠子放在天花板內9:30晚上，這就是那些聲音來的時間。

設置完陷阱後，我就出去見一位從新加坡來的讀者。他打過很多次電話給我，他想要諮詢關於他燕屋農場的設計，他在T.Karang有一塊土地。開始了幾分鐘的討論之後，我的妻子打電話給我，她是在恐慌中。她要我儘快回家，她被從天花板發出的暴力聲音嚇壞了。逼不得以我只好把會議減短，但是我答應我會在一個小時的時間或更多回來。

我爬到天花板上，當我亮了我的手電筒到籠子的時候，我看到一只這只黑毛的大貓在籠子裡面。它是果子狸。它試圖用頭猛撞那個籠子來逃跑。我知道如果一直這樣的猛撞那只果子狸會受傷，所以在我把籠子從天花板拿下之前，我拿了一塊布把籠子蓋著。(果子狸已經被移交到Perhilitan了。)

這就是在我家發生的事情。所以不要以爲位於市鎮的燕屋農場就沒有果子狸。

除此之外我也看過貓，流浪貓攻擊小鳥。它們共用相同的行為，果子狸也喜歡頭骨和頭腦。一些流浪貓不喜歡吃頭，但只是享受破碎和咀嚼它們。這是動物的本能和行為。

這往往發生在那些開放屋頂類型的燕屋農場或者一些沒有尖利釘子的燕屋農場入口洞。果子狸可以輕鬆地從入口洞爬入這些燕屋農場。

所以，現在你知道為什麼你的燕屋農場有無頭的死燕子。

注： 您可以設陷阱來抓果子狸但是肯定籠子是夠大的。

大家有好燕屋農場 ！

跡象表示您的燕屋農場走勢很強

(窩裏有4顆燕子蛋。下面那個燕窩有一只燕子和2顆燕子蛋)


如果您看到這個情形在您的燕屋農場，機會是燕窩的數量會繁殖迅速。燕子通常每一次產卵1-2顆蛋。很少看到3顆燕子蛋在一個燕窩裏。以上的照片卻有4顆蛋。

最近我在我的燕屋農場看到這樣。現在我幾乎很少看到有單顆蛋的燕窩、 大部分都是有 最少2顆燕子蛋，而現在卻有一些有3顆燕子蛋和甚至4顆蛋的。燕窩的數量大大增加了，還有許多新燕窩的標記。這顯示屋内環境控制是在其最佳的狀況和燕子們是喜歡的。

我試圖找出是什麼原因造成這種反常的現象。我發現之前我已經做了一些東西在這裡造成了燕窩快速增長的現象。

在每次我巡查了燕屋農場之後。 我總是會草草記錄下所有我做過的事。我編譯所有的資料和記錄，然後對它們進行比較。從這裡它會説明我確定這種現象的原因。

我會在我下一篇的文章解釋為什麼這些事情發生在中我燕屋農場。

大家有好的燕屋農場 ！

Signs Your Swiftlet Farms are Going Strong

( 4 eggs in a nest. The bottom nest is 1 chick and 2 eggs)

If you see this in your Bh chances are the number of nest will multiply rapidly. Swiftlets normally lay 1-2 eggs per clutch.  It is rare to see 3 eggs in a nest. The above picture shows 4 eggs.

Lately I am seeing this in my Bh . I hardly see nests with single egg now, most of them are with 2 eggs at least, and now there are some with 3 eggs and even 4 eggs.  The number of nest has increased tremendously and there are many new Nest Markings. This indicates the internal environment control is at its best level and the birds like it.

I was trying to find out what has caused this abnormal phenomenon. I have discovered something that I had done prior to this which has caused rapid nests growth.

 Every time after I’ve visited my Bh I always jot down and record all the things that I have done. I would compile all datas and records, and compare them. From here it would help me to identify the cause of such phenomenon.

I shall explain why this is happening in my Bh in my next article.

Good Swiftlet Farming All!

你的鄰居使用了一些您不知道的東西

"嗨，James師傅，有什麼是我可以使用來改善我的燕屋農場的嗎?"


這是L先生今天早上打電話給我問的問題。

我建議他試用Love Potion。可是他對香味不是很有信心，因爲他已經嘗試了許多類型的香味除了Love Potion以外。所有其他香味都顯示了差的效果。我想他對那些香味都有壞的經歷。

"James，我試過很多的香味，但我燕屋農場的結果仍是一樣"。

"L先生，你試過Love Potion嗎?"

"沒有，James。我沒有試過Love Potion。我有聽過很多關於Love Potion，但是我還沒有嘗試過"。

" L先生，您的燕屋農場位於何處?"

"它是在文德甲，彭亨州。你去過文德甲嗎，James?"

"有。我在文德甲有很多客戶、 他們都是使用Love Potion和他們的燕屋農場都做得非常好。特別有一個的燕屋農場位於Jalan Matahari的，自2008年以來一直在使用Love Potion。目前，它擁有約3000++燕窩。他開始使用Love Potion的時候只有不到100的燕窩。

"James先生，我的燕屋農場也是位於Jalan Matahari的"。

"什麼巧合!"

"這個燕屋農場在那裏是頂呱呱的。是的James，我知道你正在將哪一個燕屋農場。這個燕屋農場是我的鄰居"。

"是真的嗎，L 先生？您店鋪的號碼是什麼"？

"James，它是......XX......"

"L先生，您的燕屋農場正是位于這個頂呱呱燕屋農場的隔壁。您沒有遇過這位燕屋主和詢問他的意見，和他到底使用什麽在他的燕屋農場？"

"我有，但是他沒說什麽"。

"嗯，這就是燕屋農場的一部分。大家都不會洩露秘密，除了我們通過部落格來教導和透露給大家......我們這些部落客一定是大笨蛋...哈...哈...哈。告訴你的鄰居我已經告訴你他的秘密...Love Potion。“

"James......，不要那樣說......我是非常感謝您在您的部落格中提供免費的資訊。“

"James，我曾懷疑他一定有使用特殊的東西。沒有想到他使用的就是Love Potion。他 的燕屋農場在2008之前不是做的很理想。。。並沒有很多的燕子。現在，他的燕屋農場在這裡是頂呱呱的。James，爲什麽你會知道這個地址？你一定是有很好的記憶力。

"不是的L先生，我時常寄Love Potion給他。他經常使用Love Potion。這就是爲什麽我記得他的地址。你應該試一試Love Potion"。

"是的James，請給我寄6瓶Love Potion。我會按照你的建議，然後給你知道我的結果。我應該4年前開始燕屋農場的時候使用Love Potion。我應該早些與你接觸。我不應該聽那些所謂的好朋友。他們阻止我使用香氣。這就是為什麼嘗試了幾個其他品牌的香氣後、 我放棄了......和停止使用了香氣"

"沒關係L先生，沒有什麼是太晚的，但是無知將只會阻止您成功。如果您需要更多的建議可以聯繫我。我將儘快的寄Love Potion給你"。

"好的，謝謝你，James"。

L先生曾經打過電話給我，他常常詢問有關燕屋農場的屋内環境和其他東西。他從沒有問過關於香氣直到這次的對話。我想他是不相信香氣。現在他可以與他的鄰居詢問，並不能否認香氣的力量...Love Potion。

大家有好的燕屋農場 ！

Your Neighbors are using Something That You Are Unaware of

“Hi Sifu James, Is there anything I could use to improve my BH?”

This is what Mr. L asked when he called me this morning.

I recommended him to try the Love Potion.  He is not confident with aromas as he had tried numerous types of aromas except Love Potion. All the other aromas that he had tried shown poor results.  I supposed he had bad experiences with those aromas.

“James, I had tried many aromas but the result of my BH remains the same.”

“Mr. L, have you tried Love Potion?”

“No, James.  I have not tried Love Potion.  I did hear tons about Love Potion, but I have not tried it yet.”

“Mr. L, where is your BH located?”

“It is in Mentakab, Pahang.  Have you ever been to Mentakab, James?”

“Yes. I have a lot of customers in Mentakab, all of them are using Love Potion and their BHs are doing very well.  There is one particular BH located in Jalan Matahari has been using Love Potion since 2008.  Currently, it has about 3000+ nests.  He started using Love Potion with less than 100 nests.”

“Mr. James, my BH is located at Jalan Matahari too.”

“What a coincidence!”

“This BH is the top here.  Yes, I know which one you are talking about James. That BH is my neighbor.”

“Are you sure, Mr. L?  What is your shop's number?”

“James, it is number…..XX…”

“Mr. L, your BH is just next to this top BH.  Did you not meet the owner and ask for his advice, and what he uses for in BH?"

“I did, but he does not say much.”

"Well, that is part of the parcel in swiftlet farming. People just don’t reveal the secret except us teaching many people and reveal it thru our Blog….we bloggers must be silly..ha..ha..ha. Tell your neighbor that I told you about his secret..Love potion.

“James…don’t say that…I really appreciate the free information you provide in your blog.

“James, I had suspected that he must have used something special.  I never expected that he used Love Potion.  His BH was not doing well before 2008..there were not many birds then. Now, his BH is the top here.  James, how did you come to know the address? You must have very good memory.”

“No, Mr. L.  I send Love Potion to him very often.  He uses Love Potion regularly. That is how I remembered his address.  You should give Love Potion a try.”

“Yes James, please sends 6 bottles to me.  I will follow your advice and will let you know the results. I should have used it when I started my BH 4 years ago. I should have contacted you earlier for this.  I should not have listened to some of my so-called good friends. They discouraged me to use aroma.  That is why after trying a few other brands of aroma, I give up..and stopped using aroma”

“Never mind about that Mr. L.  Nothing is too late but ignorance will only prevent you from being successful.  Do contact me if you need more advices. I shall send you Love Potion as soon as possible.”

“Ok, Thank you, James.”

Mr. L had called me before, he often asks about Bh’s micro and other things. He never asked about aroma until this conversation. I guess he does not believe in Aroma. Now he could check with his neighbor and can’t deny the power of aroma..Love Potion.

Good Swiftlet Farming All!

燕屋農場設計 / 小燕屋農場

從讀者收到這些照片。他要我的評論和意見。他想知道這個設計是否好還是......由於他之前從未設計過燕屋農場，這是他第一個燕屋農場。一些章節和設計的部分是從網站裏複製下來的，而其他比如測量，環繞的大小，入口洞、 等等都是源自與朋友的討論而來的。


它是 一個2層樓30x45'，現在很多人都是採用這個尺寸，較小的燕屋農場往往被認爲鄉村式的燕屋農場特別是在東馬（沙巴和沙撈越）和印尼。首選的原因之一是它更加便宜的。

顯然，較小的燕屋農場是比更大的便宜。銘記我們在這裡的宗旨是為了建立一個成功的燕屋農場而不是為成本競爭。當然如果我們可以有兩者（便宜和成功的燕屋農場），那就更好了。

這個燕屋農場使用了單層的磚與外層的鋅來降低成本。我還是寧願使用雙層式的紅磚來作長期。單層磚的安排還是不足夠的效率來減低熱度，如果沒有被正確的做。水泥土的支柱仍然受到太陽而吸收熱量並釋放到燕屋農場。

小燕屋農場有優點也有缺點，我們需要瞭解這兩方面和找出來它如何會影響燕屋農場的屋内環境。銘記這一點將可以幫助我們建立一個良好的燕屋農場。

寬度是30'，長度是 45'與狗洞在盡頭。45'的長度，光線可以很容易地滲透到燕屋農場 如果分區是不正確。較長比如70'或更長的燕屋農場不會有光線控制的問題。

這個燕屋農場有很多開口(入口洞)在狗洞，燕屋主說這樣"容易讓燕子飛入，並可以容納來自每個方向的燕子"。更多開口的意思就是更多的光線，這樣需要更多的分區來遮擋光線。更多的分區會更加限制燕子容易的飛動（飛行路徑）。因此，決定需要豎立多少個分區和分區的確切位置是非常重要的，絕對不可以輕視。

一些人可能會說要解決這個問題，一罐黑漆就可以了。記住，黑漆可以毀了您的燕屋農場它沒有對比度。幼燕子(尚未充分開發它的回聲定位)不能區分黑色的色調。除非您知道在哪裏和哪一個牆壁和分區是需要油上黑色的。在這裡並不是猜謎遊戲。任何的錯誤，它將防止幼燕子飛入燕屋農場。

不同的人有不同的意見，對我來說一個入口洞已經是夠好了，此外這還是一個小的燕屋農場。入口洞應是之前預測好的，如果需要許多開口在狗洞，那麽不如做個開放屋頂型不是更好，燕子可以從所有的方向飛入。（注： 設計師應該之前預測好入口洞的正確位置。而不是在燕屋農場完成或開事之後）。

由於它是一個小的燕屋農場，設計師應該考慮到空間的限制。A、B及C已經用了燕屋農場2/3的空間。燕子很少做燕窩在這裡，這更加減少了做窩區的一樓面積到450sf而已。換句話說，這個燕屋農場最大的作爲只有在二樓。我在想這個燕屋主在設計時，是否有考慮到這一點？

由於互聯洞就在環繞的門口(B)有直接的光線在這裡。有好與不好，二樓的燕子來説有方便的出口，但是對那些想要做燕窩的燕子來説就太亮了。

燕屋主沒有提到層樓的高低，分區的材料，那麽我就不在此評論。

看起來它似乎是有屋頂在作窩區域(D)來減少熱氣，但是在其它領域卻是沒有鋅屋頂。這是為了節省費用，但是卻很不明智。燕屋農場的所有部分都是在某種方式相互關聯的。從 A、B和C的熱氣將從其門移入到做窩區(D)，然後從牆壁上的排氣孔排出，如果風是望前面而來，使乾旱的風流入做窩區，並嚴重影響屋内環境。我相信如果這個燕屋農場的設計依舊，它需要很多個噴霧器並且開動許多小時才可以維持濕度。

我沒有在入口洞的大小作評論，這裡有3個入口洞。這樣做沒有分別，因為有更重要的事情在這燕屋農場的設計是需要糾正的。

雖然有很多來自許多來源的免費燕屋農場設計可取。請確保您知道哪一個和什麼才是應該可取的。並且，您必須具有一些基本的瞭解在內部和外部的因素工程之前才應用它們投入使用。

正如我所說，建築燕屋農場是沒有回頭的。唯一的回頭就是改造及翻新工程，但是這將在您的口袋燒更多個洞。

（注： 這只是我個人的意見.)

大家友好的燕屋農場！

Swiftlet Farm Design / Small Bird House

Received these pictures from a reader. He wants my comment and opinion. He wants to know whether this design is good or….as he had never designed a Bh before and this is his first Bh. Some sections and parts of the design is copied from the web while  others like measurements, size of roving, entrance holes, etc were derived from the discussion with friends.

It is a 2 storey 30x 45' that many are adopting now, a smaller size Bh which often refer as Kampung style Bh especially in East of Malaysia (Sabah &Sarawak) and Indonesia. One of the reasons this Bh is preferred because is it cheaper to build.

Obviously smaller Bh is cheaper to build compared to bigger ones. Bear in mind our purpose here is to build a successful Bh not for cost competition. Of course if we could have both (cheap and successful Bh) that would be the best.


 


This Bh is using single layered brick with zinc outer to reduce cost. I would still prefer double layered red bricks for long term. The single layer bricks arrangement is not efficient enough to reduce heat if it is not done properly. The concrete pillars are still exposed to the sun which absorb heat and release it into the Bh.

There are advantages and disadvantage of a Small Bh, we need to understand both and find out how it could affect the Micro of the Bh. With this in mind it would help us to build good Swiftlet farm.

The width is 30' and the length is 45' with a Dog kennel at the far end. With 45' length, light can easily penetrate into the Bh if partitioning is not done properly. A longer Bh that is more 70' would have less light control problem. 

This Bh has many openings (Entrance hole) at the Dog Kennel cited the owner "easy for the birds to fly in and to accommodate birds from all directs". More openings mean more light which requires more partitions to block the light. More partitions would restrict birds from maneuvering easily (flying path). Therefore deciding the exact place to erect the partitions and how many partitions are needed are very important and can not be taken lighly.





Some may argue that to solve this problem a can of Black paint would do the job. Bear in mind Black paint kills Bh because it creates no contrast. Young birds (echolocation not fully developed) unable to differentiate the tone of darkness. Unless you know where and which wall and partition need to be painted black. There is no guessing game here. Any mistake made, it would prevent young birds from flying into the Bh.

Different people have different opinions, for me one Entrance hole is good enough furthermore this is a small Bh. The Entrance hole should be pre-anticipated, if many Entrance holes are needed at the Dong Kennel must well make it an Open Roof type instead, where Birds can flying in from all directions. (Note: The Designer should pre-anticipate the right location of the Entrance Hole. Not after the Bh is completed or operated).

Since it is a small Bh the designer should consider its space limitation. The sections A, B & C has taken 2/3 of the Bh space. Birds rarely build nests here, this has reduced the nesting area size of the  1st floor to 450sf . In other words this Bh is only maximizing on the 2nd floor. I wonder does the owner take this into consideration when he designs it.

Due to the Interhole position right at the Roving door (B) there is intent light density here. There are good and bad, easy exit for birds from 2nd floor but too bright for those who want to make nests.

With the current design if birds were to build nests it would be at the 2nd floor room. This Bh only has a nesting area of 450sf (if birds choose to build nests in this Bh). 1^st floor is too bright.

The owner didn't mention about the height of the floor, material of the partitions so I would leave this comment aside.

It seems that there is roof over the nesting area (D) to reduce heat the other areas are without zinc roof. This is for cost saving but it is very unwise. All sections of the Bhs are somehow interrelated. The heat from A, B & C would move into the nesting (D) thru its door and exit thru the Vent-holes on the wall if the wind direction comes from the front, making draught air flowing into the nesting area and seriously affect the Micro. I am confident that if this Bh design remains, it needs many humidifiers running for many hour to keep the Rh high.

I didn't comment about the size of the Entrance hole, there are 3 Entrance holes here. No point of doing so as there are more important things this Bh design needs to rectify.

Though there are many Bh designs available free from many sources. Make sure you know which and what could be adopted. And you must have some basic understanding of how the Internal and External factors works before you apply them into use.

As I have said building a Bh is no turning back. The only turning back is revamp & renovation which would burn more holes in your pocket.

(Note: This is just my personal opinion.)

Good Swiftlet Farming All!

您是否想要在這裡擁有一個燕屋農場?....我不會....

(除了燕屋什麽都沒有)


你打算如何使你的燕屋農場在所有其他燕屋農場之間脫穎而出，如果您的燕屋農場是位于在一個像這樣的地區。這裡的競爭是激烈的，只有最好的構建、 最好的設計和最佳的管理的燕屋農場才可以生存。這是現實。

（幾乎所有的入口洞都是完全相同的）

每一個都是燕屋農場另有各種不同的外聲、 不同類型和尺寸的入口洞。到底哪個燕屋農場才會被燕子選中來決定在晚上棲息呢？ 這裡有太多的選擇來讓燕子們挑選。燕子們可以飛入一個燕屋農場和飛出另外一個燕屋農場，嘗試，然後選擇那個適合它們的燕屋農場。這意味著擁有最佳屋内環境的燕屋農場才會贏。您的燕屋農場是否有所有這些條件？有時候，懷疑我們的能力是最好的、我們燕屋農場的優點和缺點。這可以幫助我們解決任何缺陷。

這適用于區域密集與燕屋農場和生態公園的。沒有任何保證在這裡的燕屋農場將一定成功，即使在雨後看到成千上萬的燕子在天空中。

燕子們飛來飛出，提供額外的食物也並不能保證成功。它們可能來吃免費的午餐，然後將飛回那些具有良好屋内環境的燕屋農場居住和作窩。 我已經看過許多這種類型的燕屋農場，也與很多面臨這種問題的燕屋住通信過。

(背向背，全部都是燕屋農場)

為了要在這種競爭性的領域脫穎而出，外聲和內聲一定要有非凡之処。它必須有能力吸引燕子飛入燕屋農場，在同一時間吸引它們居住下來。就好像之前我提到了，並不是所有的聲音都是相同的。由於商業化，許多人複製那些未知來源的燕子聲音，加上不知道和不了解燕子聲音的內容，然後複製它們，而再次在市場上賣出。如果聲音的內容包含那些會嚇唬燕子的聲音，那麽播放這種聲音的燕屋農場將受到影響。我猜到底他們是否知道什麼是好的聲音。一個良好的外聲的標準是否在於播放後有能力在短的時間內吸引大量的燕子？如果是的話，那麼壓力聲音會是首選的聲音。

它是很普遍的情形從讀者們接到來電分享其經驗有關其師傅在其燕屋農場播放壓力聲音來取悅他們，因為他們想要看到很多很多的燕子。結果這些新手都失敗了。因為想要看到燕子的渴望，那些無知的師傅都使用了壓力聲。

（不能決定那裏是最佳的入口洞）

若要避免此類的災害，確保您的聲音是從可靠的人、 那些有經驗的人和那些知道正確燕子聲音曲調和頻率的人。

你是否曾經想知道為什麼那些舊的成功燕屋農場能繼續吸引燕子居住，即使他們的燕屋農場已經爆滿了？和爲什麽新的燕屋農場要得到10只燕子住上一晚都很困難嗎？

（所有的入口洞看都起都是相同的。沒有什麼特別它是不會吸引很多燕子的。）

燕子是群體生活和作燕窩的。這就是說，燕子們本性不是孤立性質的。在最近的研究中，它顯示燕子能夠感覺氣味。它能影響到其交配行為、 育種和生產週期。這可以很清楚地看得出，如果您參觀一個有幾千個燕窩成功的燕屋農場。裡面的氣味是不同的。我很喜歡它的氣味，在這裡我是很難用詞語來解釋，是很不同的。燕屋農場裡的氣味可以告訴您。有這類的知識和理解，Love Potion就被發明了。

對我來說，除了位置，燕屋農場必須具有的最重要標準就是氣味、 聲音、 屋內環境、 飛行路徑、 材料和設計。

（屋內環境： 溫度、 濕度、 光線的密度）

希望您的燕屋農場擁有所有這些。

大家有好的燕屋農場 ！

Do You Want to Own a Swiftlet Farm Here?....Not for Me..

( Nothing but Swiftlet farms)

How are you going to make your Swiftlet farm standout among all other Bhs if your Bh is located in an area like this. Competition is stiff here, only the best build, best design and best managed Bh would survive. This is reality.

( All Entrance holes almost identical)

One Bh next to another with all sorts of different external sounds, different types and sizes of entrance hole. Which Bh is going to be chosen by Birds when they decide to roost for the night?

There are plenty of choices here for the birds to choose from. The birds could fly into one Bh and fly out next, trying out, and choose those that suit them. This means the best design Bh with the best micro will win. Do your Bhs have all these qualities? Sometimes it is good that we question our ability, the advantages and disadvantages our Bhs. This helps us to address any shortcoming.

This applies to areas that are dense with Bhs and Eco parks. There is no guarantee having a Bh here would assure success even though  one may sees thousands of birds in the sky after rain.

Birds come and go, providing extra food doesn’t guarantee success too. They may come for free lunch after that they would fly back to Bhs that have good micro quality to stay and build nests.

I have seen many Bhs of such and have corresponded with many Bh owners that are facing such problem.

                                                          ( Back to back all Swiftlet Farms)

In order to standout in such competitive areas the external and internal sounds have to be extraordinary. It must have the ability to attract birds to fly into the Bh at the same time entice them to stay. Not all sounds are the same as I had mentioned previously. Due to commercialization many have copied swiftlet sounds from unknown sources without knowing and understand the content of the sound, then duplicating them over and over again selling it in the market. If the content consists sounds that would frighten birds then the Bh that played this sound will suffer.  I wonder whether they know what good sound is.  Are the criteria of a good external sound is having the ability to attract large number of birds in a short period after it is played? If yes then Stress Sound would be the most preferred sound.

It is common to receive calls from readers sharing their experiences about how their Sifus played Stress sound in their Bhs to please them because they wanted to see Birds. At the end these newbies Bhs will lose out. Because of the craving of wanting to see birds the unknowledgeable Sifus resorted to using Stress Sound.

( Unable to decide which is the best entrance Hole)

To avoid such disaster make sure you get your sound from reliable people, those who have experience and those who know the right tune and frequency of birds’ sounds.

Have you ever wondered why old successful Bhs could continue to attract birds to stay in their Bhs even though their Bhs are over populated with birds? And why new Bhs are hard to get 10 birds to stay for a night?

( All Entrance holes look the same. Nothing special It won't attract many birds.)

Birds live and build nests in colonies. These mean Birds are not solitary by nature. In recent research it shows birds could sense odor.  It influences their mating behavior, breeding and production cycle. This could be clearly observed when one visits a successful Bh with few thousand nests inside. The smell inside is different. I like the smell it is hard for me to explain here with words, it is different. The smell in the Bh tell tales. With such knowledge and understanding therefore Love Potion was invented.

Well for me beside location, the most important criteria a Bh must have are Smell, Sound, Internal micro, flying path, material and design.

(Internal micro: Temperature, Humidity, Density of Light,)

Hope your Bhs have all these.

Good Swiftlet Farming All!

 

是否所有的燕屋農場都需要噴霧器?

這是一封有趣的電子郵件，由一位從吉蘭丹的燕屋主，他的燕屋農場是我建立的。我覺得是應該與所有的讀者分享的，因為昨天有人打電話給我，問我是否應該在他新的燕屋農場放噴霧器。


他經常提供我關於他新燕屋農場的結果。這是我喜歡的地方，因爲他可以從我學習到非常基本的燕屋農場維修工作一自到非常有技術方面的燕屋農場工程管理。我為讀者建設的燕屋農場方式是很不同的，它是一個兩方面的溝通，我希望我的讀者參與燕屋農場的建築過程。這是為了保正當燕屋農場移交囘給他們時，他們可以本身自己處理它而不依賴于其他人。

他們將親生看到燕屋農場如何正在建築從素描到木板和高音揚聲器的安裝。有了這樣的練習、 實踐和理論是更加容易被吸收尤其在整個施工的期間。

這裡是從我讀者的電子郵件和屋内環境的資料。是很有趣的，即使沒有噴霧器燕屋農場仍然可以保持其濕度。這個資料是在2012 年 5 月份最炎熱的季節期間記錄的。而不是現在，現在其濕度是往往較高的，因爲在年底雨季節間。

這清楚地表明所使用的材料，燕屋農場的設計，確定排氣孔的數量，互聯洞和入口洞的大小、 分區、 層樓的高度等等都是極為重要和不能被輕視的。



James，晚上好

謝謝你昨天到吉蘭丹一程。希望您返回的航班是順利和及時的。

我在三樓和二樓的房間都安裝了24小時的資料記錄器。不出所料，三樓房間是較高的由於房間的尾端是赤裸的水泥而已，而最高紀錄是29.9攝氏度。

我認為這兩層樓的溫度範圍是蠻好的；第二樓28.5至29.9度，在24小時內的範圍=1.4度...

我對濕度的水準還感到蠻驚奇的；第二樓73至85%，第三樓71至81%。我認為的較大的範圍是由於資料記錄器的濕度讀數精度即+ 5%，因此有較大的差距。我需要用濕度計來驗證此讀數。在這個濕度範圍，我是否仍然需要加噴霧器呢？

在此附上從資料記錄器的記錄，還有三樓和二樓的天花板佈局冊畫供您審閱。期待收到您的木板和高音的佈局設計。

謝謝和順祝

R先生

NO.	DATE	TIME	TEMPERATURE	RELATIVE-HUMIDITY	DEW-POINT
1	05-13-2012	8:07:25	29	77.3	24.6
2	05-13-2012	8:37:25	28.6	78.7	24.5
3	05-13-2012	9:07:25	28.5	79.3	24.5
4	05-13-2012	9:37:25	28.5	79.8	24.6
5	05-13-2012	10:07:25	28.5	80.1	24.7
6	05-13-2012	10:37:25	28.5	80.5	24.8
7	05-13-2012	11:07:25	28.6	80.8	24.9
8	05-13-2012	11:37:25	28.6	81	25
9	05-13-2012	12:07:25	28.7	78.6	24.6
10	05-13-2012	12:37:25	28.8	78.3	24.6
11	05-13-2012	13:07:25	29	77.5	24.6
12	05-13-2012	13:37:25	29	77.3	24.6
13	05-13-2012	14:07:25	29.4	73.3	24.1
14	05-13-2012	14:37:25	29.4	76.3	24.7
15	05-13-2012	15:07:25	29.4	76.2	24.7
16	05-13-2012	15:37:25	29.3	78	25
17	05-13-2012	16:07:25	29.2	78.4	25
18	05-13-2012	16:37:25	29.1	79	25
19	05-13-2012	17:07:25	29.1	79.4	25.1
20	05-13-2012	17:37:25	29.2	79.8	25.3
21	05-13-2012	18:07:25	29.2	80.1	25.4
22	05-13-2012	18:37:25	29.3	80.5	25.5
23	05-13-2012	19:07:25	29.3	80.8	25.6
24	05-13-2012	19:37:25	29.5	81.1	25.9
25	05-13-2012	20:07:25	29.5	81.3	25.9
26	05-13-2012	20:37:25	29.5	81.5	25.9
27	05-13-2012	21:07:25	29.6	81.7	26.1
28	05-13-2012	21:37:25	29.6	82	26.1
29	05-13-2012	22:07:25	29.6	82.2	26.2
30	05-13-2012	22:37:25	29.7	82.4	26.3
31	05-13-2012	23:07:25	29.7	82.5	26.3
32	05-13-2012	23:37:25	29.7	82.7	26.4
33	05-14-2012	0:07:25	29.8	82.9	26.5
34	05-14-2012	0:37:25	29.8	83	26.5
35	05-14-2012	1:07:25	29.8	83.2	26.6
36	05-14-2012	1:37:25	29.8	83.3	26.6
37	05-14-2012	2:07:25	29.8	83.5	26.6
38	05-14-2012	2:37:25	29.8	83.6	26.7
39	05-14-2012	3:07:25	29.8	83.6	26.7
40	05-14-2012	3:37:25	29.8	83.6	26.7
41	05-14-2012	4:07:25	29.8	83.6	26.7
42	05-14-2012	4:37:25	29.8	83.6	26.7
43	05-14-2012	5:07:25	29.8	83.7	26.7
44	05-14-2012	5:37:25	29.7	83.7	26.6
45	05-14-2012	6:07:25	29.7	83.7	26.6
46	05-14-2012	6:37:25	29.7	83.8	26.6
47	05-14-2012	7:07:25	29.7	83.7	26.6
48	05-14-2012	7:37:25	29.6	83.7	26.5
49	05-14-2012	8:07:25	29.6	83.6	26.5
50	05-14-2012	8:37:25	29.6	84.1	26.6
51	05-14-2012	9:07:25	29.7	84.4	26.7
52	05-14-2012	9:37:25	29.6	84.1	26.6
53	05-14-2012	10:07:25	29.9	85.8	27.2

“是否所有的燕屋農場都需要加噴霧器的“？答案是"不"。噴霧器只有在燕屋農場地區濕度較低時才使用的。您可以使用濕度計來檢查濕度。在可以接受的濕度是從75-95%。任何數度在這個範圍之外被認為是不利的。

最優級的濕度改善燕窩品質同時也幫助提高燕子的數量。您可以輕易地看的出很差劣的濕度控制跡象在燕屋農場。 小又細長的燕窩，骯髒還有許多羽毛、 有裂縫、 有孔洞和差距的，脆，等等。

不利的濕度可能會損害燕屋農場和裡面的燕子。因此，請確保您經常檢查燕屋農場和濕度是處於良好的水準。

大家有好燕屋農場！