The hot weather is
affecting the Swiftlet farming industry. Yes, you would see fewer birds roaming
the sky. People are complaining they are seeing fewer birds, even after rain.
Swiftlet farming is
agriculture, it can’t escape from Natural disaster such as drought, flood,
change of temperature and environment, etc. Malaysia is now experiencing hot
and dry weather caused by the El Nino phenomenon and the Malaysian
Meteorological Department predicted that the situation will only end in May or
June. The hot weather was due to the
equinox phenomenon.
The nests production
in every Swiftlet farm has reduced. Nests are smaller, contain more feathers,
poorly shaped, etc. This is due to the low humidity in the atmosphere. Not only
Swiftlet farming is affected by this phenomenon, other crops like Padi, palm
oil, etc all are recording lower production.
In the North, Perlis
some areas recorded above 40dg. This would force Swiftlets to migrate to areas
that have lower average temperature. So if you don’t see many birds as before,
during homecoming they could have migrated.
Secondly, food sources
are scarce, insects can’t reproduce during dry season. They need water, water
is the essence of life of insects. So no rain means no water, no water means no
insects. The parent unable to bring back enough food for offspring and many
would die of starvation. So during this period, it is common to see dead young
birds on the floors of the farm.
If the Farm
temperature is too high the eggs can’t be formed. It is estimated during this
period up to 40% of the eggs can't be formed into chicks. Those nests and eggs
that built at the cooler part of the farm have the higher chance to survive.
Can we do something
about it? Yes, we could. Increase the humidity of the farm. A longer period of
humidifying. This is subject to the design of a Swiftlet farm. Every Swiftlet
farm is different. Averagely, 18x18ft one humidifier is needed. Operation
period is also subjective, but what I did was increase the operating time,
especially during…. 1-5 pm, this is the most severe period. If the RH (humidity
%) drops below 60% the quality of the nests will be affected. So make sure the
Rh is constantly reaching 75%.
Could exhaust fan be
used? Yes and No.If the outside temperature is 40dg and you switched on the
exhaust fan what would happen? Simple common sense, what goes out must come in
first. Hot air of 40dg will flow into the farm through door gaps, ceiling gaps,
entrance holes, etc.
One of the best way to
constantly stabilise the Rh of the farm is to have many buckets of water in it,
Traditionally, people have been doing this in the past when humidifier machines
were not easily available. But now we have all sorts of humidifier machines.
Mist spray and water
sprinkler on the roof of the farm do help. It would reduce the temperature but
this should only be operated during the dry season (not the rainy season). When
the hot season is over it should be stopped.
There pros and cons of
this hot season. Look at the bright side, the hot season isn't that bad because
of the effect nests price has gone up 3 times compare to the year before. Nest processing centres are complaining
insufficient of raw nests.
This is how it pushes
up the price of the nests. Those who are currently harvesting 10-20 kg per
month are laughing to the bank.
A good Swiftlet farm
should have contingency plans. What to do if the unexpected arise and
anticipating the drought, flood, etc and constantly ready to face all these
challenges.
Good Swiftlet farming all!
Need any advice you may contact me at : swifjames@yahoo.com or 012-3173811
USE LOVE POTION DURING THE HOT SEASON TO RETAIN YOUNG BIRDS.
