Swan Care?

[acceabex]

I'm considering adding a swan as eye candy, not breeding... But am having a wicked hard time finding information about care of domestic swans. I've worked out that they are generally about the same as geese with feeding, etc.

But I can't seem to find if they can be housed on the same pond as geese.... Can swans and geese coexist or do they need separate aviaries? Would one swan bond with the geese and vice versa (I'm not even sure why I'm asking, I've never had two separate species get along)...

Do two females or two males do better than one single swan?

Is there a few solid books or blogs I should be reading before bringing a swan home?

What did you do to prepare for a swan? What do you wish you would've known or done differently?

I feel pretty confident with day to day care, but am having a hard time finding information on the behavior of domestic swans.

 

[SueT]

Hello! I should start by saying I don't know much about swans, but I love them! I recently visited my Mom who lives in FL near a lake where swans are kept, and I'll add in here what I saw and some of the pics I took. They have black necked swans and one mute swan. The mute lost his mate a couple years ago. I understand that they mate for life. Usually people sell them in pairs and they are expensive. This lake has several species of ducks and geese in with the swans. The geese I saw are not domestic type. There are Egyptian geese, (pic #3) which came on their own, and are multiplying in FL. There was a red breasted goose, which is another exotic species. There were shelducks, teal, and domestic ducks in with the swans as well. They are all free to come and go, and they are fed.

What kind(s) of geese do you have? What breed of swans are you considering?
Good luck with your swan project!

 

[acceabex]

Beautiful! Oh my goodness, this makes me even more interested in a swan

I have Sebastopol and American Buff Geese. I also have Ancona, Welsh Harlequin, Appleyard, and Blue Swedish ducks... But the geese do not like the ducks, so they have their own areas. (I do have the requisite collection of odd breeds of chickens, too).

I have done some reading on breeds, it sounds like the whooper swan or the black swan tends to be the most friendly. I have run across the need for a permit for keeping trumpeter swans.

They are crazy expensive -- particularly the breeding pairs I've seen for sale. I read a few threads that quoted about 1000 for a non-breeding swan. I really do not want to (from what I understand) deal with catching and pinioning the cygnets each year. Catching the baby geese is life threatening enough for my tastes.

We do have several natural ponds, but I do not like their distance from the house. Since we live in the middle of a forest, all the birds stay in a flight cage and are locked up at night. I'm tentatively planning on digging a pond out my office window (work from home) and creating a large flight cage if the swans and geese can get along. It sounds like everyone just needs enough space and it's ok.

People joke about chicken math... but waterfowl math is a real thing... And they come with ponds!

By they way @SueT , I see you are in SW MO... I'm in SE MO. Howdy neighbor!

 

[SueT]

We have a really nice big pond surrounded by trees, but it's not near our house. I'd love to have ducks and geese, but can't afford swans! I think we'd have to build a new house overlooking the pond, rather than a pond near our house! But I could build a duck house there....will they go in on their own at dusk? I am thinking automatic door as it is a 10 min. walk each way to get there. Pleasant in nice weather, unpleasant in bad weather.

 

[acceabex]

Ducks do not need as much water as people think (some make it work in a run with a $5 kiddie pool), though of course they will take all they get and they have earned every bit of the name "waterfowl". In adding them to an existing pond, they often throw off the ecosystem bringing duckweed with them.

Because these are my kid's pet (first and foremost), I dug out a 16x20 standard garden pond and put in a filtration system. I quickly gave up on filtering it and just dump it about once every 6 months. They do put themselves up at night, but I make sure everyone is locked in. If anyone is left out, they will not see the morning. Unfortunately, domestic ducks are 100% flightless. They could not get their chubby bodies off the ground if they tried. So unlike chickens, they can't roost up in a tree and potentially make it.

That said, ducks are comical little pranksters and fun to watch. It was completely worth the effort on the pond. I have about 15 and they seem to be happy as a peach with the size... Though I do have one that likes to dive -- he's petitioned to make it larger.

 

[josebeth1]

I know a lot about mutes in particular (yes, there is a difference between breeds) but my time to sit and post is pretty limited for all there is! I would be happy to talk if you pm me a phone and when is best time to call. I also have a 3yr old female that I'm looking to sell into a non-breeding situation. Lots of reasons for that stipulation, but the biggest is that laws with mutes are very stringent now in most states and I don't want one of my animals producing offspring that are destined to die (as it's very difficult to find truly good homes for them). At the least, please consult with your state's dept of wildlife folks about this if you're going to proceed.......

 

[DW Farm]

I'm considering adding a swan as eye candy, not breeding... But am having a wicked hard time finding information about care of domestic swans. I've worked out that they are generally about the same as geese with feeding, etc.

But I can't seem to find if they can be housed on the same pond as geese.... Can swans and geese coexist or do they need separate aviaries? Would one swan bond with the geese and vice versa (I'm not even sure why I'm asking, I've never had two separate species get along)...

Do two females or two males do better than one single swan?

Is there a few solid books or blogs I should be reading before bringing a swan home?

What did you do to prepare for a swan? What do you wish you would've known or done differently?

I feel pretty confident with day to day care, but am having a hard time finding information on the behavior of domestic swans.

 

[DW Farm]

No

 

[DW Farm]

I have no problem mixing swan with geese however if you have overwhelming number of geese's and the food is limited then the swan will have a hard time compete with them means you need to feed them separately. You will need a pond the size is not that important but you will need a depth for them to swim in and mating.The creek is not a issue the issue is how to protect them from predator because they can not fly. I always like to raise animal from young then you can learn as they grow and the price is cheaper. Hope this will help you and if you want more information you are welcome to contact me at [email protected]