Swan Raising Is Fun By Margaret Wilson In the spring of 1980, my family and I were visiting the local zoo when we came upon a captivation sight that soon led to major new excitement and challenges in our lives. A female Black0necked Swan was swimming along in the pond in front of us with several downy cygnets riding on its back! That wonderful scent mad a real impression on my children especially, and the next week we all went to the library and found a book on waterfowl that had a section on swans. We learned that Mute Swans were the subject of worship by the Greeks, and in Britain they were designated by the monarchy as “Royal Birds.” A royal license was required in order for any subject to keep or sell them. Enforcement of this regulation was carried out by an official known as the King’s swan master who even had deputies to help with enforcement. This is why they are commonly known as “Royal Mute Swans,” even in the United States. Writings from medieval times show that Mutes were widely domesticated in England during the 12th century. They were initially bred for their food value, and later on become popular for their beauty and esthetic qualities. All of the other eight swan species (including the very different Coscoroba) have found their places in the lore and legend of the cultures which share their habitat. Through our research and further visits to the zoo and some private collectors, our entire family became so excited about swans that we soon began looking at the possibility of obtaining some for our farm. We were fortunate in locating a breeding pair of Mute Swans form a breeder who lived closeby. Bringing the pair home with us in the back of our Suburban is quite a story in itself. For some reason we thought we could simply release the swans onto one of our lakes and that they would stay put without being fenced in. How wrong we were! The next morning both swans had disappeared, and after putting out a “missing swan” bulletin all over the county, we finally located them swimming down a nearby stream. It took my husband, our two boys, and our daughter a whole day to finally round them up and transport them back. We temporarily put them in a small enclosure until a good fence could be built around their intended pond. It was later learned that swans will sometimes say on a pond without fencing once they have lived there fore a long time, but in our experience this is never a sure thing! Eventually, for reasons only known to the swans, they will get restless and decide it is time to go exploring. Perhaps it has to do with the natural instinct many have to migrate. Over the next year or two we added Black Swans, Blacknecks, Whistling and Trumpeters to our collection. More recently we have purchased a pair of Coscoroba Swans which we have begun to have very good success breeding. We are fortunate in having a farm with several natural ponds on it which are ideal for swan keeping. One pair of the breeder swans was placed on each lake because we had been told only one pair of mated swans should be kept on each pond due to their territorial nature and the aggression they may display towards other swans, especially during breeding time. It is not really necessary to provide swans with ponds as large as we have on our farm. Black-necked Swans in particular can be kept on rather small ponds but, again, they must be separated due to the inevitable aggression pairs will show towards each other. The responsibility of feeding the swans was divided among family members. The boys would go around to each pond and distribute food before leaving for school. Our daughter insisted on helping out after school. My husband has an arrangement with the local grocery store to obtain all of their lettuce trimmings which are picked up every other day. They pack the trimmings into lettuce boxes. There are always so many boxes that it is always a dilemma getting rid of them! Fortunately, the store does not charge us anything for the lettuce and the swans just love it! As I said, our children fed the birds before leaving for school and again when they returned home. The swans would come right up and take the lettuce from our hands! This is really fun until breeding season comes around at which time breeding age swans can become very aggressive and even dangerous. They become so protective towards their eggs and young that they will actually strike out at you with their wings. So to avoid being harmed, you must keep a safe distance. We also place turkey pellets in pans near the edge of the shoreline so they have nutritious food available all of the time. Also, the swans eat vegetation and roots along the edge of the ponds which we feel is very good for them. Mute swan courtship is a particular joy to watch. They are so loving to each other as they put their necks together, kiss and show their devotion. Swans mate for life unless something happens to one or the other spouse. They must have feelings for one another because we once had a cob die due to an injury, and its widow seemed very sad. It took four years before it would show any interest in another female. Finally, after five years, it took a mate and produced a family. Our Blacknecks are among the first swans to nest- normally in January or February. I think that people who keep them in colder climates may see them nesting later on. The females make their nests by gathering together loose twigs, sticks, and various other materials. Males help out in the nest building process as well. If there is not enough natural material for the birds, you need to put some straw, hay or other material in different places for them to make their nests with. In the case of Blacknecks, the hen (which is called the pen) lays an egg every other day until a clutch of from about five to eight eggs is laid. After several eggs have been laid, the female begins incubation. It takes approximately 37 days for the eggs to hatch. During this time, the male (cob) remains nearby and watches continually to ward off intruders. Often times, he will be out on the pond alertly patrolling around. The moment a person or anything of concern gets near its mate, he will rush back and give chase! Even as a loving keeper, you must be careful because during the breeding season the male swans will show no mercy for anyone except their mates and offspring. Once the eggs hatch, the parents take their young on to the pond and you soon see the cygnets on the backs of their parents which is so delightful to watch. It’s really fun when you see the babies scramble onto the back of the parent birds and then become tucked under their wings. Many people say that their baby swans die or disappear if left to be reared by their natural parents. However, we have always had good luck just letting the adults raise their own young. They seem to grow up so much faster and are healthier this way too. We’ve never had a serious predator problem and I guess this is one reason we have done well. Raising swans is something the whole family can share in. It has been very rewarding for our entire family. I believe that activities like this help to shape the character of young people in a way that helps move them in the right direction in life. It also instills in them an appreciation for our precious wildlife resources. Now that our children are grown up and have moved away, my husband and I care for the birds and do all the chores. However, one of our sons has taken up raising swans in California, but all of our children and their kids enjoy feeding and watching our birds whenever they visit us.
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