Swan egg hatching advice

[Australorp100]

Hi, so I have got a swan egg that I want to hatch but I have never hatched one before and have no idea about the hatch process so if anyone here has any experience I would be greatful, like like lockdowns, raising the chicks, best temperature. Anything really I’m very new to swans thanks for any replies

 

[sourland]

@swampfox440 can you help here?

 

[swampfox440]

I have not incubated any I always used the broody pen. Incubation period is from 35 to 42 days, but I let them go to 45 days. What I would do is use the same system they use for goose eggs if you are going to incubate them. The treatment of the eggs is basically the same. You can mist them towards the end of incubation. as with any birds it is better to incubate more than one egg. The cygnets always do better if they have a friend or four. They like a lot of seaweed, and you can give the cygnets unmedicated crumble. Too high of protein can cause the babies to grow unproportionally. In other words, too fast. you can raise the cygnets in one of those plastic tubs. Make sure they have food and water at all times and clean it frequently. You should have some kind of controlled heater until they get baby feathers. I hope this helps.

 

[swampfox440]

I also wanted to add that 30 some years ago I incubated some Canada geese and fed too high a protein food and a couple had wing droop the vet said it was from too much protein in the food I was giving them after they hatched so I started pulling grass and they loved it. Swans also love grass.

 

[Kiki]

Hi, so I have got a swan egg that I want to hatch but I have never hatched one before and have no idea about the hatch process so if anyone here has any experience I would be greatful, like like lockdowns, raising the chicks, best temperature. Anything really I’m very new to swans thanks for any replies

Have you ever had any type of egg in an incubator?
Which incubator do you have?

 

[swampfox440]

I can tell you one other thing my eggs are so big that they don't fit in a conventional incubator. These eggs from our mute swans are 5 inches long sometimes a bit larger.

 

[Australorp100]

Yes i have hatched chickens and ducks before, and my incubator has a option for bigger eggs, so it should be ok, I know about the hatch process of geese but I never actually hatched them.

 

[Australorp100]

Thank you for the advice about the food, I always think more protein the better

 

[swampfox440]

What kind of swan are you hatching? If I may ask .

 

[swampfox440]

Thank you for the advice about the food, I always think more protein the better

I want to clarify what I said about the feeding the goslings too much protein. Why the goslings got messed up. At the time of hatching the goslings which was 30 or more years ago I was raising foxes and I had a lot of commercial fox food around. So, when the goslings hatched, I didn't know to what to feed them. I just gave them fox pellets without giving it a second thought. That's a big fat no. The protein content in the fox pellets is very high Say 30% (I'm using Bill jacks dog food as tis example) as opposed to a commercial unmedicated crumble for chickens that has say 16% to 20% I wouldn't recommend feed your baby swans dog food cat food fox food. These foods are made those animals not swans. I feed my adult swans Romane lettuce, carrots shredded, spinach cabbage apples cut so they can eat them. I do give crumbles also. I do offer oyster shell and grit just dumped on to the ground, but they feed naturally out of the pond, on duck weed water meal. They can eat up to 8 lbs. of pond weeds a day I have read. I am not a food analyzer and try to keep things simple as possible. My swans have been doing well for the last 10 years on what they eat in the pond and what veggie food I give them. Also, I wanted to add that there are laws concerning captive swans you may want to check out the laws in your state as well as federal laws. I hope things makes things clearer.