I have had pairs of mute swans for the last 11 years. My current pair are George and Sara Swan who I have had for 5 years. They were wild but injured and can no longer fly. My friend does water fowl rescue and gave them to me. My property is 5 acres and totally fenced in with a 1/4 acre pond. George and Sara walk about quite a bit and would definitely wander off or into the road if not for the fence. They wander down the long driveway and like to watch the cars go by. People stop to look at them and get a real kick out of the swans looking back at them.
George becomes extremely aggressive in the middle of winter when they are thinking about spring and nest building. I can only go in my back yard with a broom to protect myself and the dogs. He remains aggressive until the middle of summer when the nesting season is over. When I mow on my riding mower he attacks the mower and bites the tires. Sara is always sweet and docile. A couple of years ago while I was walking around the pond with my older doberman beside me, George flew out of the pond trying to get the dog, but hit me instead. When you have been hit by a 30 lb. swan with a 6 ft. wingspan, you know it. When they are close enough to you they bring their wings together in front of them with incredible force and hit you with an amazing WHOMP that hurts like hell!! People always say watch out for swans because they bite. Their bite is nothing compared to the wing whomp. I was black and blue from my shoulder to below my knee on the side he hit me. I have been told they can break your arm with their wings and I do believe it!
Each year they build a huge nest that is about 8 feet in circumfrence, but so far have not laid eggs. My previous pair were Blizzard and Ivory and Blizzard became aggressive just like George and for the same length of time. I gave them to a man who had a pond that was not fenced, thinking they would stay where the food was, but they didn't. They stayed for a couple of hours and then wandered off into acres and acres of brush and woods. My friend and I looked for them for days but never found them. We assume coyotes got them. I was so very sad for a long time and will always tell people you must have a fence to have swans. If they could fly they would go from lake to lake looking for food and open water. Pinioned or injured swans who cannot fly will just hit the road walking! You must have a fence.
In my opinion it is cruel to keep swans if you don't have a pond that is at least 1/4 acre. I even feel sorry for George and Sara when my pond level goes down in July until the Fall rains fill it up again. Geese and ducks can live reasonably well with a wading pool, but swans are huge birds and the weight on their knee joints is too much and they need to get in the water to get relief. My swans wander the yard, but most of their time is spent in the water. Anyone who claims their swans are happy with a wading pool or tank are only HOPING they are happy. Believe me, they would be much happier with deep water to swim in.
I love my swans, but they would definitely not be a good choice if you have small children or older people. They could actually seriously hurt a small child or grandma or grandpa. I have a Dogue de Bordeaux (French mastiff) who does not mess with George! They got into it once. Otis got a mouthful of feathers and George got a mouthful of fur! Plus Otis got the wing whomp and now gives George a wide birth in the yard. They are absolutely beautiful, but you have to make a commitment to keeping them even when they chase you out of your own yard. Oh, and did I mention the poop?? The size of French mastiff poop but LOTS more of it!!
