The best solution would be to keep them in the nesting area until they are at least 12 weeks of age (3 months). This way, they are about the size of a large duck and this size will usually deter most predators such as herons, egrets, etc. However, a large hawk or owl, turtle or other predator such as bobcat, coyote, fox would not be deterred by the size, but the electrical fence should help in this aspect.

If you keep the cygnets and parents in a chain link fenced area, you need the electric fencing to deter the bigger predators, but to deter owls or other birds of prey, you could use netting or fish line. We don't like fish line as this could hurt the predator and since their feeding is a part of nature, we really don't want to harm the birds because they are acting normally. Netting, on the other hand, will not deter a large predator such as bobcat or fox from climbing or falling into the nesting area, so a chain link top would even be better to prevent predation from these type of predators. Think about a large dog run that is covered top to bottom with chain link fencing. This is the ideal type of nesting area. The birds should have a zero entrance area to the water from the nest and vice versa. Too much of a steep area can cause leg and foot injuries to the young birds. You want to provide enough water to swim and bathe with ample land space to preen, nest and allow the swans to dry themselves. A feeder should be placed in the nesting area so that pests such as ants and rats cannot access the food. Use a dog feeder (see previous posts on how to set-up feeder) to prevent these pests and allows the birds to feed at will.

Finally, place poultry fencing on the outside of the pen area (place from the bottom rail up to 4 feet along the fencing. This will prevent the cygnets from leaving the nesting area without their parents and being unable to return back through the fencing. This will also prevent the parents from trying to stick their necks through the fencing and possibly getting injured or stuck. Use plastic poultry fencing which will cause less injury to the birds than the metal sharp poultry fencing. Fence slats and even windscreen can also be used on the outside of the pen. DO NOT use any type of windscreen or poultry fencing inside the pen. Always place on the outside so that the swans do not get entangled or cut their feet on the fencing. We hope this helps. The Regal Swan