Those Who Learned And Those Who Did Not !!!

Three days away from home and I have to admit that I met so many people that have the same thing in mind about swiftlet farming.

1) Mr.A of BM.

A very nice lawyer who thru my blog attended the GAPH seminar in Alor Star.

He admitted that he took a gamble in letting his so called consultant to convert his shop house into BH. Since he have very little knowledge after spending RM 55,000 and 3 years of waiting the house was handed over to him with only one nest.

He said that that was the most expensive birdnest he ever harvested. One nest worth RM 55,000.

A very bad lesson and he now started to learn from scrach.

2) Mr.I of Kuantan.

He called and insisted to have a word with me. He introduced to me that he was one of the GAPH seminar participant in Ipoh.

I told him that I do charge a small fee just to be with. He say no problem.

It seem that he has a BH in Kuantan, Pahang and the unit was operational about 3 weeks ago. He become very interested to know more about swiftlet farming and do not wish to be the victim of another consultant.

From what he told me he have parted with more then RM 70,000 for two floors and have learned very little from the so called consultant who converted his shop house. (Note normally the cost to convert a floor is about RM18-20 per square foot.)

Another victim of a poor knowledge person who was so eager to have a birdhouse.

He already attended a few prominent seminars and workshops in Penang and Subang but stumbled onto my blogspot. After reading some of those informative articles he told himself to come face to face with me.

After a few hours, I feel that he is no different from so many others who jump into BH and after the house is done, feel that they learn nothing from the "consultant".

Now is a matter of how to reduce the damage. There was no official agreement made between him and the "consultant" for how long the BH will be taken cared, when he can take over, monthly inspection and etc.

The whole episode is actually going towards a disaster.

I told him that the only way to reduce the damage is to quickly arrange to meet his "consultant" and intelligently make some kind of agreement on the followings:

a) The period which the "consultant" is going to take care.

b) When exactly he can take over the running of his BH.

c) He should be given the right to visit his BH on a predetermined time of every month.

d) He should be allowed to inspect and record the signs of how many birds are staying in his BH.

e) He should also take initiative to inspect for any kind of prediators during the monthly inspection activities.

f) He should have a kind of training by the "consultant" on what to do every month on how to run the BH himself.

g) He should push his "consultant" to allow him to apply those proven Aromas solutions on the floor, the walls, and the wooden panel.

h) He have the right to renew those birdshits which were placed in the house on a regular basis.

i) He should consider removing all those walls that were build from the floor up to the ceiling.

j)He should consider changing the external sound if the number of birds circling above his birdhouse are too little.

k) He must make sure the temperature and humidity are within range. If not they have to insist their consultant to install adequate insulators on the walls.

l) He should look into the possiblity to fix a hexagonal sound tower to lure more wild swiftlets to his BH.

I gave him some practical guidelines and I hope he will make the right move.

3) Mr.U of Alor Star.

One of those beautiful character in Alor Star. He is a professional (a doctor) and he seem to be a bit more successfull in the ways he hadle his BHs construction and managing them.

This Mr.U is a bit more organised and he managed to learn a lot from reading and attending a few courses.

The good thing is that he applied what he learned and able to modify his BH to his desire. He is not being control by any consultant. He determined his destiny with little helps from those "Prediators (consultants)".

He took me for a BH watching in Alor Star. The most successful unit, the largest flock of BHs and of course his own units. They looks great and full of potentials.

He took me for dinner and it was on him.

I am happy for him and I see that he is a proud owner of three birdhouses.

He bought one unit of the birdcall gadget.Of course he paid for it.

I can sense that he have many more new BHs in his mind....