You need to check with the Florida Fish & Game Commission as swan possession/selling laws have changed. Usually, you should not separate the cygnets from the parents until they are 6-8 months of age. Some people do, but then you have cygnets that do not have the opportunity to spend time with the parents to learn how to be a swan. Conversely, you have parents who have worked very hard to produce the young only to have them taken away. The cygnets are usually old enough to learn street smarts and live on their own after 6-8 months of age and this is usually the time the parents start chasing them from the area for the new nesting period.

Selling swans requires a breeder's permit, a veterinary medical health certificate stating that the birds are free from injury, illness, etc. You may also need a permit stating that they were not taken from the wild. If you sell them to an owner and the bird dies without the above certificates, the new owner may or may not have recourse against you for selling a defective swan, but they will probably report you. Can you give them away? Possibly, but then again you need to check.

The cygnets must also be pinioned (rendered permanently unable to fly at 1-3 weeks of age. This pinioning must be completed per state law.

Finally, if all else fails, please contact Bob at Knox Swans in Illinois and he may be able to assist you. The Regal Swan
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