Ask the Swan Specialist

Re: Black swans: Pioning, and could brother and sister mate?
By:The Regal Swan
Date: 6 July 2015

Hi Paul:

If you pinion the swan after 1-3 weeks of age, you must have them placed under anesthesia. Amputating the portion of the wings after 3 weeks of age is a very difficult surgery for the swans and they may not make it off the surgical table. You just need to keep one side of the feathers clipped every 4 months to ensure that the feathers do not grow long enough to promote flying.

As far as the brother/sister if that is indeed what you have (if they mate and do not produce cygnets), you may have two males or two females...they will mate, nest, but obviously, not produce cygnets.

You need to go ahead and put them together as they have already bonded and to separate them would be inhumane. If they are a male and female, because they are birds and not mammals, you should not have to worry about any genetic anomalies. So, we would suggest that you allow them to live together. The Regal Swan

Messages In This Thread

Black swans: Pioning, and could brother and sister mate? -- Paul -- 6 July 2015
Re: Black swans: Pioning, and could brother and sister mate? -- The Regal Swan -- 6 July 2015