Yep, Conrad is a young juvenile under 1 year of age because his bill has not turned full orange/red in color.

In order to ascertain gender, you can do two things. Have a veterinarian sex him/her by probing the cloaca (Conrad is not going to be a happy camper for this procedure, especially if he is a male!).

Under 1 year of age, probing is the least reliable, therefore, you can have a blood test done, small veterinary medical fee and have lab results collaborate his/her gender.

Even if you get a two females, if they are very young, they should do just fine. The issue is to get him/her a new swan about the same age and immediately so that they do pair and stay together.

Could Conrad still fly from the area, yes, but the more he/she bonds with the new swan and you, the more likely that he/she will stay on your pond. You will need to clip Conrad's feathers every 6 months if not sooner to prevent the flight feathers from growing back and allowing him to fly.

Keep feeding him lettuce, bread, cracked corn and layer pellets so that he knows you are his friend and a food source. If you can sit on the bank and feed him, you will eventually get him to eat from your hand. Do not force this situation and do not walk toward him. Let him walk toward you or follow you when possible.

If there are children in the area or people, domesticated dogs or cats, hand feeding may not be a good idea. You may want him to be leery of people and animals so that he does not get injured or killed by someone or something that would want to harm him. This again, totally depends on your habitat.

Finally, you need to consider your weather. If the temperature turns too cold, you may need to make alternative preparations during the winter if he does not fly from the area so that he does not succumb to the elements. If it is too cold, he may take off for warmer weather.

When you get your new swan to avoid the swan from going somewhere on the property like Conrad, place the new swan in a pen (1/2 in water, 1/2 on land with feeder inside fencing). The pen should be covered on top so that no predators can crawl inside and kill the swan and also lined on the bottom and around the bottom sides with poultry fencing to ensure that predators cannot dig under the pen.

We would suggest that you consider procuring our book, Swan Keeper's Handbook: A Guide to the Care of Captive Swans, Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida 2003. This book will provide you with much needed information regarding the consistent daily humane care for Conrad. Good luck and let us know if Conrad is male or female. The Regal Swan