First, you would need to see if your state Wildlife Commission allows you to possess swans in your area. The most popular swans for pond/lake adornment are the Mute Swans (orange beak), the Black-Swan and the Black-necked swans. These species are considered non-native in many areas, therefore a permit to possess an exotic species is needed.

The size of your property is also a consideration as well as if you are purchasing two different species or the same species and if you are purchasing mating pairs (male and female swans each pair).

The size of your property (lake/pond) is going to be the driving force regarding how many pairs of swans you can reasonably maintain. During nesting/mating season, the swans will become very aggressive and territorial and chase each other from the habitat.

Mating pairs of Mute Swans produce a clutch of eggs (1-13) a year, while Black Swan pairs produce (1-8) eggs twice a year. You may need not only a permit to possess the swans, but also breed if you get mating pairs. Then, you have to worry about the pinioning (surgery to prevent the birds from flying) of the cygnets (1-3 weeks of age and mandated by law for non-native swan species). Once the juvenile swans are 6-10 months of age, the parents will become aggressive towards them and chase them from the pond habitat. The bigger question would be what you are going to do with the cygnets once they are banished from the pond and the parents begin the breeding process once again. Swans can live up to 30 years with the proper veterinary medical and daily care.

If you have researched the possibility of owning swans, taking into consideration many of the above issues, we would suggest trying Knox Swans out of Indiana. They keep a large stock of various swan species on hand for sale to prospective swan owners. We hope this information is of benefit. The Regal Swan