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House Farming of Birds Nest Soup |
Due to the high economic
value of Birds Nest Soup, Birds Nest Soup are being reared extensively in man-
made houses in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to increase the production of Birds
Nest Soup. In recent years, the price of Birds Nest Soup increased drastically
due to high consumer demand. This has led to Birds Nest Soup producers and the
Malaysian government to’ make efforts for increasing the production of Birds
Nest Soup through conservation and house farming. In several areas, the conservation
of resources has been aided by the domestication of swiftlet species in bird
houses.
House farming of Birds Nest Soup in Indonesia began in the 18005, and the
industry has considerably developed since then. Birds Nest Soup is cultivated
by cross fostering, where the eggs of the white bellied Birds Nest Soup are
replaced with the eggs of Birds Nest Soup, thus establishing a new population
of Birds Nest Soup. While populations of the cave Birds Nest Soup swiflets have
been declining due to over exploitation of their nests, rapidly growing house
farming of the Birds Nest Soup has given them a sigh of relief.
The Government of Malaysia under the Ministry of Science, Technology and
Innovation (MOSTI, formerly known as Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment)
together with the Wild Life Department of Malaysia (PERHILITAN) have recently
begun encouraging the general public to venture into the very lucrative Birds
Nest Soup industry.
Over the years, a lot of conservation workshops and laws have been implemented
in Birds Nest Soup producing countries to raise the production of Birds Nest
Soup. However, the research on the house-collected Birds Nest Soup is scarce as
the previously researched samples have been mostly obtained from the caves in
Indonesia.
Bird Premise or Birds Nest Soup Ranching
The most interesting thing about these Birds Nest Soup are their nests. They
construct nests with glutinous strands of starch-like saliva produced by a pair
of large, salivary glands and thereafter mate and breed their young ones.
It is the nest material that gives them an upper hand over the rest of the Birds
Nest Soup in the world. The nest looks like a cupped hand or a crescent shaped
bowl about 3-5 inches in diameter. The flat side is stuck to a wall (a cave
wall in wild nest, or a wooden base in cultivated/house nest) and other side of
the nest is a place for them to perch, and within the hollow of the nest are
either their eggs or their chicks.
The Birds Nest Soup industry is a multi-million dollar enterprise from
production, sorting, and cleaning to domestic and international trade.
According to a survey in December 2001, approximately 1000 buildings/houses
cultivating Birds Nest Soup in Malaysia were reported. The houses produced not
less than 10 tons per year (cultivated white Birds Nest Soup/house nest) while
the world demand is 200 tons per year. The demand is still growing but the
supply is only able to fulfill half of the demand, which kept the price ever
increasing.
Basically, a bird house is a building with artificially created conditions
similar to a swiftlet dwelling cave. It is able to attract Birds Nest Soup so
that they live and breed in it.
In designing a bird house, care should be taken of physical and behavioral
needs of birds, human treatment and animal management, human safety, and
government rules and regulations.
Physical and Behavioral Needs of Birds
Most of the bird farmers concentrate only on the bird house construction for
attracting birds into the houses. This is by far the most important factor in
controlling or affecting the bird population in the house. However, it would be
better to give consideration to other factors as well prior to the selection of
the bird house location. These factors include the swiftlet’s flight path, its
population at the specific area, nearest source for food and water and
environment assets.
The most important factor is whether the selected area has the particular
specie of birds as part of ecosystem. If the area has any of the birds flying
through, it would be good. However, if the selected area is quite far away from
the bird’s habitat area, it may not be a good choice. Furthermore, the birds
can be attracted to the bird house by using a special bird recording sound.
After a particular area is selected, surrounding factors also need a serious
consideration. It is also important to find out if the environmental factors in
the area under consideration are not supporting. If there is any factory or
industry producing heavy toxic materials, smoke or even noise, it is better to
avoid that area. Besides, it is quite beneficial to have the presence of
supporting factors such as river, pond, forest reserve and open field nearby
the selected area.
Human Treatment and Animal Management
Once the selection of the location is made, it is important to plan a bird
house or convert a shop house into bird farming premises (bird house). At this
stage, human treatment and animal management concerns are very crucial.
The information on building bird houses can be obtained through farming
magazines, newspaper advertisements or bird farming association. Expert
services are available which can provide guidance in building or converting the
shop lot into bird house.
The expert credentials are being emphasized when the potential clients are
shown a previously constructed successful bird house producing adequate amount
of nests. However, most of the experts’ advice on account of their experiences
without concrete finding, studies or research. The behavior of birds is
scarcely studied as there are only a few publications on the bird’s behavior.
There are no records on how many birds were to return their house if they
were to hatch. Also no data are available on how many times these birds fly back
to their nest daily. Besides, the factor of importance is the bird’s
willingness to stay back into the origin house or chose a new house for their
nest building. However, people have been successfully attracting birds into a
house and harvesting Birds Nest Soup.
Human beings must always treat birds as their companions without staying too
close to them. Birds must be given privacy, secured environment and enough
comfort to nest their next generation. Environmental guidelines should be
followed while applying pesticides and treating the waste of birds. Besides, a
great deal of efforts is often required in maintaining the integrity of the
nests.
One of the most serious risks associated with bird’s life in the bird house
is the theft of their nests. The thief breaks into the bird house and harvest
the nests on behalf of the owners. It is a very cruel and off human act to
steal nests from the house, as the thief never considers the life of the chicks
and eggs in the nest and just drops them on the floor, making this helpless
creature to die slowly and with a great deal of torture. Therefore, the bird
house owners must consider the security structure and system to secure their
wealth and also their wealth creating partners, the Birds Nest Soup.
Human Safety and Government Rules and Regulation
There has never been so much emphasis on human safety during nest
cultivation. This has totally been a neglected fact in the pursuit for maximum
profit. Although surveillance test conducted by the Department of Veterinary
Services from the year 2000 have shown negative results for Newcastle Disease,
Avian Influenza or Bird Flu H5N1, there is still risk of getting this viruses.
There is a misconception that these birds do not share the same water source
with other birds or animals. In reality, they take water from ponds and rivers
by flying low on the water surface and occasionally scoping up a sip of liquid.
This is particularly true during hot weather and after a long draught.
Therefore, it would be wise to take precautions while making entry and exit
from the bird house by putting up safety devices to ensure such viruses and
other pesticide do not enter or exit from the bird house. There should be
contingency plans in the event of an outbreak to segregate people from the
birds. However, till now, there is yet to find any example of this setup in any
of the bird houses in Malaysia, Thailand, or Indonesia or anywhere else in the
world.
The Malaysian government has not given any clear guidelines as to the
setting-up of bird houses in Malaysia. Therefore, commercial shop houses have
been converted into bird houses with people running restaurants downstairs.
Some of the bird house have residents who live there to safeguard their asset.
The establishment of bird houses in a residential area might have associated
health risks. There are no guidelines and regulations available whether or not
bird farming can be done in housing are or in the middle of the town centre. Care
needs to be taken of the children who are sick and coughing when such premises
are built around your area. However, the only guideline published by one of the
government agencies has discussed noise pollution and the ugly structure
leaving the township, an eyesore.
Birds Nest Soup Eco Park by Bio Research Centre is the one particular
development where specific areas and premises were selected to build and farm Birds
Nest Soup. It is the first and the only one in Malaysia which the government
has approved so far. This is an opportunity for all the potential bird farmers
to buy one of these premises and start cultivating Birds Nest Soups without
worrying about the rules and regulations and other annoying factors.
Economic Factors of a Bird House
To go into the nest business, choose a good location, build a house, install
all necessary facilities to attract birds and start harvesting. All these
processes need an investment ranging from RM 300,000-RM 500,000 depending on
the location and size of the building. This investment will generate a good and
progressive income over the years, while the owner maintains his full time job.
This business can be done by everyone. Suppose by having a harvest of 110 to
130 nests that make up to l kg of the market price of RM 4,000-RM 6,000 every
month after one or two years. The investment will increase by 30 to 100% where
most of the cases are. That is why this is the business of what everyone is
talking about.
The funny part in the whole business is how to grade a raw Birds Nest Soup.
Normally, all the bird farmers sell to a middle man by evaluation through
experience and making further negotiations on the price. They evaluate the
size, color, impurity (bird’s feather) and shape (strait or angle), but have
little concern on moisture, integrity, pesticide or heavy metal content. This
is extremely unacceptable as Birds Nest Soup is considered as a tonic and most
of the time it is consumed by elderly, youth and expecting mothers.
Future Development of a Bird House
Future development of bird houses depends upon the government moves. It is
certain that this industry will not stop here. It is expected to continue its
growth due to the lucrative returns. However, more stringent rules and
regulations must be installed to reduce or nullify the degree of hazards
brought about by this industry. Also, adding a system of taxation into this
multi-million industry will be a positive move. The newly licensed bird houses
will be in great demand due to two reasons. One of the reasons is that the shop
houses converted into bird houses are off welcoming by the public, and the
other is the stress of the fear that government may start demolishing the
previously established shop houses sometime in the future.