UNAIR NEWS – Gunawan, one of the straw headed breeders from Wisma Mukti Surabaya, supported by TDDC researcher Eduardus Bimo Aksono H. (Dr., M.Kes., drh) explained that this method or technique initiated by Bimo and his team has high economic value. The profit of having a business with science development will be greater than before using science.

All this time, to determine bird sex on monomorphic birds (animals which their sexes are indistinguishable from its anatomical and morphological structures) only based on habit and a guess when the key to a successful straw-headed bulbul breeding is to know the sex of the bird.

“Before this, from twenty pairs of birds, only two pairs bred well. Why? We assumed that the other pairs had same sex,” said the man who started his business in 2009.

When this sexing method was applied in 2014, Gunawan paired 30 birds of his. From those 15 pairs, there were 10 pairs which laid eggs and bred well.

So, if there used to be only 10 percent of the total pairs bred well, after using a scientific method, there are 66 percent of the pairs bred well.

“But, the five pairs did not mean to have same sex. They were still matched and finally bred. We just had to wait more patiently,” said Gunawan.

To provide a basis comparison, based on Gunawan’s experience, his breeding used to generate net profit about Rp 2 million for a month. But at the moment, it can reach Rp 38 million for a month. The man who has dozen pairs of straw headed bulbul has planned to move his breeding facility to Pandaan as he will have better space and better weather.  (*)

Editor: Nuri Hermawan