"James please...... please help me?". Cried Mr.K from Sri Vijaya, Pahang. His Swiftlet farm has started sound few months ago but it didn't attract many Swiftlets. They fly in, within second fly out again and never come back cited Mr.K.
According to him, he had tried all techniques he knows yet to no avail.
He thinks what he did was good and he thinks he has reasonable good skill. After many months of operation just few birds came to play and just few shit spots were found at the lower floor. He can't figure it out, so he decided to ask for my help.
He asked lots of questions....why the birds are not play, why birds are not staying...blah..blah and so on. I replied " there must be problems with your farm other wise the birds would have stayed."
He assured me that his Swiftlet farm's design is good and all things are in perfect condition. He said he is doing what other peoples commonly do.
To me, how could that be a 3 storey stanalone Swiftlet farm located at Sri Vijaya, a prime birds zone but, unable to attract birds? That means trouble.
I told him I can't tell much about his Swiftlet farm without seeing the interior. In order to help I need to see the interior of the Swiftlt farm. Then the next day he sent me these 4 pictures.
Look at the above picture. It is obvious that the Swiftlet farm is too bright. No wonder birds are heading to the lower floor. Like I said before, observe the movement of birds. It indicates things. If you are observant and with a little of intelligent you would have found the answer.
At the second entrance which more than half blocked by the partition, given each section of the partition is 2 ft that would be 14ft. Give the farm width is 22ft then the second entrance hole width is 8ft.
8ft is definitely too big, unless the 1st entrance hole is made small like 1x2ft or smaller , otherwise the whole upper floor would not be suitable for birds to stay.It would be to bright. Entrance hole and the 2nd entrance are correlated. Both affect each other. So when you plan the size of the Entrance hole don't forget to take into consideration of the later.
Well, the picture says it all. The Entrance hole is big. Given the height of the guy averagely 5.5ft That Entrance hole is easily 8ft high. By judging from the picture, the width is easily 5-6 ft. The drought air could flows in easily, the light could penetrate the whole upper floor making it too bright.
That is why the upper floor doesn't have any birds shit spot.
The Inter hole is small. Well to others it is sufficient. Like I had said before, the are many Sifus with many opinions. But my opinion is based of fact, research and experience. Observing from the picture, the width of the Interhole is 6 ft ( based on the partitioning). Actual fact it is not 6ft. It is only 3 ft. the other 3 ft taken or being used as a staircase. So a 3ft wide Interhole is a dead hole. Birds flying down to lower floor because they don't have a choice. Once they have observed the whole farm they will fly out and never return.
Well, from only 4 pictures there are already so many errors If I visit this Swiftlet farm I think I could file up a whole book .....(with all problems and errors).
That's all for now.
Good Swiftlet Farming All!
By James Chong
Need help or Advise you could reach me at 012-3173811
