Something that you should read

mud swallow chicks

this is we name swiftlet

this one mud swallow

this is white swiftlet nest 

  

Being an expert in swiftlet farming, I would like to give a few pointers.

The species Aerodramus fuciphagus do not litter their droppings. Their droppings are only within the birdhouse. Extensive droppings in many towns are not from these swiftlets but from mud swallows that make their nest underneath shophouses.

Indeed, swiftlets are hygienic and do not mix with other birds. The moment they fly out of the bird-house, they will not touch the ground until they return to the bird-house. Swiftlets also prey on harmful insects, like fruit flies etc, and can increase the yield of farmers and reduce the use of pesticides. They are natural pest control agents.

However, in the long term, it is important that swiftlet houses are not located in shop­houses in town centres due to aesthetics and noise pollution. They should be stand-alone units within agricultural areas.

As swiftlet farming is now increasingly seen as a financial gold mine, there are a few pointers potential investors must understand.

One disturbing trend is the development of huge bird-house complexes in one location. These are sold as units to potential buyers on the claim that these bird-houses will be filled with birds within a short time.

It is very unlikely that such huge bird-houses of hundreds of units can be filled within a short time. It will take 10 to 20 years or more for these massive bird-houses to be filled due to the slow natural population growth of the swiftlets in that particular locality.

As such, potential investors should make in-depth studies and consult experts in swiftlet farming before investing as the failure rate is more than 80%. The million ringgit investment may yield zero returns.

Apart from that, there are other quick-get-rich schemes using swiftlet farming as a front for their scam. Swiftlet farming entails a low initial return of one to five years, peaking only in the seventh to 10th year.

As such, it is impossible for the operators to give immediate 3% to 5% returns per month.

Swine Influenza Virus (SI), Flu or selsema babi

Swine Influenza Virus (SI), Flu

Swine influenza is caused by a number of closely related influenza A viruses that are noted for their ability to change their antigenic structure and create new strains.Each serotype is identified by surface proteins referred to as "H" and "N". The three common strains that affect the pig are described as H1 N1, H1 N2 and H3 N2. There are also different strains within these serotypes with differing pathogenicity (capacity to produce disease).
The incubation period of the disease is very short, as little as 12-48 hours and the onset is usually rapid and dramatic.
It is virtually impossible to maintain a population of pigs that is influenza virus free.

SI in large herds may become endemic with intermittent bouts of disease and infertility and different strains may also sequentially infect the herd. Immunity to influenza viruses is often short lived (6 months) and the immunity profile in the breeding herd varies considerably with time.

The CattleSite Foot and Mouth Disease News

ulser on foot

Further FMD Cases Reported In Tibet

mucous discharge

TIBET, CHINA - Following the recent Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Tibet, China, a further outbreak has occurred in the Linzhi region, Tibet.

lesion on lip

lesion on tongue 

The new outbreak occured on the 30 September 2011 in Duixu village, Zhongda town, Lang, Linzhi, Tibet.


A total of 108 cattle were found susceptible to the outbreak, out of which seven cases were reported. No deaths were recorded. However, all susceptible animals were destroyed.


In the case of swine, a total of 22 pigs were found susceptible, but no cases were reported. All susceptible animals were destroyed.


The cause of the outbreak remains unknown.

musim panen sarang burung walet

kerja panen sarang burung sangat bahaya

World Health Organization Report

INDONESIA - The Ministry of Health has announced a confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.
The case is an one-year-old girl from West Jakarta district, DKI Jakarta Province. She developed symptoms and was treated at a health care facility on 8 August. She died on 25 August.
Of the 179 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 147 have been fatal.                                                                                            I addressed malaysians on how  to take precautions ( refer to the last month posting ) and report accurately about the virus.But the dangers from new flu strains go well beyond those posed by this virus.... wan zul

Recommendations for Avian Influenza

All patients who present to a health-care setting with fever and respiratory symptoms should be managed according to recommendations for Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette and questioned regarding their recent travel history.

Patients with a history of travel within 10 days to a country with avian influenza activity and are hospitalized with a severe febrile respiratory illness, or are otherwise under evaluation for avian influenza, should be managed using isolation precautions identical to those recommended for patients with known Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). These include:

• Standard Precautions
  • Pay careful attention to hand hygiene before and after all patient contact or contact with items potentially contaminated with respiratory secretions.
• Contact Precautions
  • Use gloves and gown for all patient contact.
  • Use dedicated equipment such as stethoscopes, disposable blood pressure cuffs, disposable thermometers, etc.
• Eye protection (i.e., goggles or face shields)
  • Wear when within 3 feet of the patient.
• Airborne Precautions
  • Place the patient in an airborne isolation room (AIR). Such rooms should have monitored negative air pressure in relation to corridor, with 6 to 12 air changes per hour (ACH), and exhaust air directly outside or have recirculated air filtered by a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. If an AIR is unavailable, contact the health-care facility engineer to assist or use portable HEPA filters  to augment the number of ACH.
  • Use a fit-tested respirator, at least as protective as a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved N-95 filtering facepiece (i.e., disposable) respirator, when entering the room. 

Predetor Faeces

                                      White owl the most hamful predator to your BH.

                                                                                                                                                          The differences between normal and territorial faeces of owl

Normal faeces


 Below are the territorial marking feaces

Litter Consumption Affects Gut Development

AUSTRALIA - Research at Poultry CRC has demonstrated that broilers consume a considerable amount of litter, which stimulates gut development, and that the amount consumed depends on the type of material.

 This is financially important for two reasons. Firstly, some poultry producers are facing difficulties in sourcing certain types of litter material between batches because of availability and price. Secondly, as explained below, a poorly-developed gut may mean reduced feed efficiency.

Broiler in litter

This research has demonstrated that the chickens consume a considerable amount of litter (bedding material), which stimulates gut development. Results show that consumption of litter containing coarse fibre markedly increases gizzard weight, together with a number of positive outcomes for enzyme secretion, disease resistance and bird performance. 

The gizzard is regarded as a 'pace-maker' organ for nutrient digestion in poultry. A well-functioning gizzard grinds down feed to as fine as 5µm with an average diameter of 32.5µm. The proper function of the gizzard can only be maintained if the bird is given access to some structural components either in the diet (coarse fibre) or in the litter. If not, the gizzard fails to develop to its proper size and the proventriculus becomes enlarged. The nutritional implication is that a non-functioning gizzard will allow a large amount of unprocessed food to pass into the small intestine in a short span of time (as the modern bird has a voracious appetite). This large amount of food overwhelms the enzymatic digestive system, leading to undigested nutrients, such as starch and protein, ending up in the large intestine, where it ferments. Loss of digestion efficiency via fermentation of starch and protein in the large intestine often reduces feed efficiency in poultry. 

It is clear from our research that birds consume different amounts of litter materials depending on the source. Hardwood saw dust is usually preferred over softwood litter or shredded paper in terms of stimulation of the gizzard.