Talk:Swiftlet
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[edit] Split off Bird's nest soup
IMHO this article needs to be split. There's the contributions of User:Lh47603 which belong to Aerodramus (currently a redirect to this article), and the bird nest soup IMHO should have a separate article (currently also just redirects to this article). andy 11:25, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
I agree Bird's nest soup neeeds its own article. It doesn't really fit here. Bejnar 19:09, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Organize Swiftlet pages
I see there is now a Bird's nest soup article--perhaps the above comments should be deleted? Well, I cleaned up the grammar in the "Food" section quite a bit but am not knowledgable specifically about any swiftlet facts. However, I think the various articles about swiftlets need to be better organized (and interconnected). As a wikipedia newbie, I am not prepared to work on this myself, though I'm sure I will eventually learn how. I arrived here from a search for "swiftlet nest", which reveals several different pages about various swiftlets which produce edible nests, but the articles are not tied together in a logical fashion and there is a lot of redundant information between this page and "Indian Swiftlet". Lambart 04:22, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Swiftlet Farming
INTRODUCTION The practice of swiftlet farming is becoming increasingly popular throughout South East Asia. Considered by most ethnic chinese as "the caviar of the east", prices per kilogram for the edible white nests that are harvested from purpose-built swiftlet farms have increased recently to USD 2,000. Such prices continue to fluctuate upwards due to the constant lack of supply and voracious demand for such nests coming from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
DEFINITION OF SWIFTLET FARMING Currently, the business of swiftlet farming essentially involves the conversion of people-centric buildings into buildings used to house and protect a certain species of swiftlets (i.e. the white edible birds’ nests swiftlets or the Aerodramus Fuciphagus species of swiftlets) that can only be found in the South East Asian region as well as the design and construction of purpose-build buildings for the purposes of accommodating such swiftlet populations as well.
A continuous vocalization of swiftlet chirps and mating sounds are played throughout each and every day using speakers and audio systems installed within such buildings in order to lure the swiftlets that are flying overhead to fly into the said buildings to mate and make the buildings their new home.
Almost 99% of all swiftlet farms in Malaysia are geared towards the production of white edible birds’ nests.
THE EXPORT MARKETS FOR EDIBLE BIRDS' NESTS The main export markets for edible birds’ nests are Hong Kong (50% of world trade), China (8%), Taiwan (4%) and Macau (3%) with a consumption weight value of approximately 160 tons for 2006. The total consumption value of edible birds' nests throughout the world in 2006 was estimated to be in the vicinity of RM8 billion to RM12 billion
METHODOLOGY OF SWIFTLET FARMING In its essence, a swiftlet farm is a place in which edible white nests swiftlets mate, build their nests, raise their younglings and live in. Swiftlets had traditionally lived in caves. With their migration into the city and town centres through the years, these swiftlets will find places to live that are not dissimilar to that of their natural cave environment.
Therefore, all swiftlet farmers have endeavoured to design, construct and renovate their swiftlet farms in ways which will control the light intensities, humidity levels, air flow standards, pressure levels, safety perceptions, heat standards, odours and smells and swiftlet flight-paths in order to mimic swiftlet cave environments so as to encourage swiftlets to nest within the said farms.
Once a swiftlet farm has been completely constructed, swiftlet mating sounds and swiftlet chirps are played using audio systems through tweeters in order to ‘advertise’ to swiftlets flying above the new swiftlet farm that there is a new place for them to stay. These new swiftlets will then nest on wooden planks and lay eggs.
COMPETITION BETWEEN SWIFTLET FARMS Throughout the last 20 years or so, many technological advances, swiftlet farm design leaps as well as improvements in the behavioral characteristics of edible nests swiftlets have been made by the participants of the swiftlet farming industry in the areas of swiftlet farm design and construction, audio systems, mating and chirping sound identification and modulation, swiftlet flight-paths within farms and tweeter design.
Many owners of swiftlet farms whose farms are located in close proximity to each other (within a 5km radius) are constantly trying to outdo their neighbourly competition by implementing more and more scientifically researched and developed swiftlet farming products within their swiftlet farms in order to attract swiftlets from the surrounding competing farms into theirs.
A stage has almost been reached whereby it is now becoming more of a scientific endeavour of luring swiftlets to nest within a swiftlet farm as compared to the more unsuccessful and traditional ‘hit-or-miss’ method of swiftlet farming.
FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING SWIFTLET FARMING SITES While the world wide web and the internet are important tools for information dissemination with regards to the ASEAN swiftlet farming industry, these tools are also prone to being taken advantage of by site operators sprouting questionable claims with regards to the products and services that they provide. The members of the Committee who compiled this Report have personally encountered a handful of sites which contain representations of high capabilities and performances bordering on grandeur which may not be entirely accurate.
Therefore in order to effectively and properly evaluate websites on swiftlet farming, the following common sense framework has been included as an addendum to the Report which should be kept in mind by users in evaluating such sites:
1. Determine whether or not the website operator has a physical premises where he or she conducts business from. A physical premises tend to indicate the seriousness of the operator in participating in and expnding the swiftlet farming industry in the country;
2. Make sure that the website is operated by a company or body corporate (i.e. the business entity with a Sdn. Bhd. or Bhd. designation) that has been in existence for more than 10 years or so. The time frame for success in this industry is usually long due to the relatively long gestation periods that swiftlets need in order to build up their colonies within their farms which would then allow for the harvesting of commercial quantites of white edible birds' nests. New swiftlet farming companies or body corporates that have been recently established may not possess the requisite overall knowledge and complete know-how with regards to the challenges and tribulations of the industry in spite of the purported claims on their websites;
3. Determine whether or not the swiftlet farming companies produce and manufacture their own swiftlet farming products rather than buying their products 'off the shelf'. This is another factual detail that can be used to indicate the seriousness of the said companies in participating in the swiftlet farming industry for the long-term.
