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An indoor Salangane or edible-nest swiftlet raising pilot has shown promise recently in south-central Vietnam where local residents earned their living from selling the lucrative nests as an edible delicacy.
Young edible-nest swiftlets
The Khanh Hoa Salagane Nest Company has successfully incubated and raised indoor Salangane whose nests serve as a valuable dish in many Asian countries.
The pilot exhibited a hatch rate of 78.41 percent, with swiftlet’s nest prices at VND20-30 million (US$1,300-1,900) per kilogram depending on products in the domestic market.
Being aware of economic potentials from breading Salangane, the company has conducted research on reproductive process of such precious bird to adopt a complete indoor raising circle.
Le Huu Hoang, the company’s director, said it targeted to produce an indoor breading process that generated in the highest effect but less cost.
He added that the company’s staff defined parameters such as temperature, humidity and sought measures to stabilize such factors that played a vital role in the in the artificial incubation process.
With the research results and lessons from unsuccessful trails using overseas-imported incubators, the company has now designed and manufactured incubators suitable for the Vietnamese environment.
Additionally, the company’s staff also set up a standard nutrition regime and supporting techniques for raising the birds.
The company has developed three breeding houses in other localities in the Khanh Hoa province besides on in the Nha Trang city and offered consultative services to raisers in Phu Yen, Tien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau.
The special swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus) are found populated in Salangane Island in the Nha Trang city.
The locals harvest the bird nests (considered a delicacy) to be used in soups. These nests are processed and exported to Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The birds build their nest high on the walls of the cave on the islands. To access the nests, harvesters must climb on ladders fashioned from bamboo.
The bird nest comes in two types, white and red nests.
The nest is made out of the bird’s saliva. Usually, a typical bird creates one nest a year during springtime using both parents saliva.
Reported by Xuan Hoa – Translated by Ha Viet
