My husband and I have a male & female pair of Mute Swans (Vinny & Gretchen) as pets on a 1/2 acre pond on our property near Denver, CO. We just bought the house a year ago in April, and we still have questions about providing the best habitat for them during the winter. Last Winter, we just had Gretchen, and we had read that swans don't require any special shelter during the Winter, as long as their pond does not freeze over and they have food. Now we have Vinny as well, and this is his first CO Winter...he is from FL. We'd be happy to build them a shelter, but we've read that swans don't like enclosures and will not use them. Is there a type of shelter that they would be most likely to use, or is it just best to keep the pond from freezing?

This swan mom wants to know : )

Cheers,
Lisa