You will be better off either raising them until they can be released back onto the pond and fend for themselves (if your pond is big enough to house 8 birds), or find them a good home. There is a breeder in Oklahoma, Kenneth Howell (479-353-2584) if you need to find them a good home or get someone with expertise to help you with raising the swans. It would actually be better to get them to someone like Ken who can raise them with other swans and waterfowl. This will allow the cygnets to learn how to be swans, recognize and protect themselves from predators. This a swan education that you cannot provide to the young birds.

The parents WILL NOT take them back after being separated with them for 2 months. The parents did not have time to bond with the cygnets. So, they will not recognize them as their own cygnets and will possibly act so aggressively toward them that they could kill the cygnets.

Additionally, even if you raise them in your pond once they get older, the cygnets will be chased from the pond by the parents once mating season begins. This means that you will now have 8 juveniles that can be ready for breeding on their own within another year, plus the cygnets from next year. The point is that your pond is going to be overrun with swans and the chasing by the parents can cause such stress that the cygnets can die from heat stress, dehydration, illness, etc. So, your major decision is what are you going to do with cygnets from each year. The size of your pond is also the deciding factor in your decision.

We are also assuming that you had the young birds pinioned (rendered unable to fly at 1-3 weeks of age). If not, you will need to have their wings clipped every 4 months to prevent them from flying. In some states, you may need a breeder's license for breeding swans. In these same states, they will shoot and kill a flying Mute Swan. So, if you do not prevent the cygnets from flying, the same fate as being predated may occur, only at the hands of a state official. The Regal Swan