You need to keep the cygnet in the pen for about 2 more months. We are assuming that this is a Mute Swan. If it is a Black Swan or other smaller species, you may have to wait an additional month to release the cygnet. Usually, Mute Swan cygnets are large enough that owls, hawks, and other predatory birds cannot grab them.

If the cygnet does not have its adult feathers, it will not be able to maintain its warmth or keep water repellent which can promote drowning or illnesses such as pneumonia.

Also, if you have been the sole caretaker for the cygnet and not a swan parent, the young bird will not know about predators (raccoons, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, alligators, etc.). Therefore, you will need to teach him to go out on the pond in the daytime as long as there are no coyotes or other predators that can get to the cygnet along the banks, and then keep him in the pen at night. The pen will protect him for predators at night in the event that he has not learned to sleep in the water to prevent predation on land.

When its feathers have matured and it is much larger to protect itself, the cygnet should be released onto the pond approximately 1 hour after dawn and 1 hour before dusk. Predators feed right before dark until a little after dawn and then go back to their nocturnal lifestyle.

The pen needs to have metal poultry layer fencing on the outside and under the bottom rail for the pen so that no predators can dig under the pen, such as coyotes, foxes, soft-shelled or snapping turtles. Additionally, the pen should have a metal covering so that predators cannot climb into the pen and kill the young bird. The pen should be half in water and half on land so that the cygnet can swim and then exit the water to sun bathe and preen. A feeder filled with 1/2 poultry layer pellet and 1/2 cracked corn should be inside the pen. If you feed the cygnet in the pen such treats as lettuce and bread, it will learn that is where he needs to go for his treats. Treats should be given when he enters the pen for the evening. We hope that this information is of benefit. The Regal Swan