It is Important with Young Swan Cygnets to be Careful Handling them.

IF Possible !  > > NO Chasing ! No Twisting when you Pick them UP.
 > > > Set Cygnets Down on the Ground Gently.

Look that those CUTE LITTLE LEGs..

As I have been Gathering Examples..
It has been Disheartening how many Swans/Cygnets
We know that have had their Legs Injured Permanently.
Many will not be Mentioned here.

It is Important with Young Cygnets to be Careful Handling them.
IF Possible. > > NO Chasing ! No Twisting when you Pick them UP.
Set Cygnets Down on the Ground Gently.

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Within Hours of Hatching Swan Cygnet are Ready to Leave their Nest.

Within 24-36 Hours Swan Cygnets are
READY to Leave the Nest and will Learn to EAT !

I Had to Laugh Seeing the Tiny Cygnet Tasting his Sire’s Feathers. 

For THREE Months Swan CYGNETs are Eating Machines !
They EAT and Poop !   Lots of Poop !!

Cygnets have VERY Fragile Legs when Young..
A Poor Diet the first 5-6 Months.. does not Help..

Calcium is the Main Mineral they need to Develop Strong Bones.
Tiny Water Insects are Rich in Calcium and Proteins..

“Crunchy Munchies.”

They will Soon be Floating on the Water that is Only
a Very Short Waddle from their Nest to Start Life as Very Young Swans..

Imprinted they Follow Close to the Tail Feathers of their Parents..
Their Little Legs will be Very Active.

Swan Cygnets will Grow VERY FAST..
When Cygnets Hatch..
Their Tiny Bodies are Much like a Balloon before you Inflate with Air..
( One Way to Think of it. )

In 4 to 5 Months they will be 12-20 Pounds..
Depending on Many Factors..

Their Bones can not be Firm, they must be able to Stretch
into the Proper Shapes. Their Bones are just Thin Scaffolding..

First the Cute Little Webbed Feet >>>GROW..!!
Exaggerate for Fast Paddling.
They Must Keep Up with their Parents..

Then their Necks Shoot UP

… Within 5 Months they are Close to the Size of their Parents.. !!

Healthy Cygnets will be “Feathered OUT..” by 5 Months.

Swans Evolved to Float and Fly.. Not to Stand or Walk..
When we Pinion them.. we Change this..
Pinioned Swans are Safer as Domestic Pets.

For Cygnets that are NOT Pinioned.. ( Please Pinion your Cygnets )
4 to 6 Months is their Instinctive TIME to Learn to Fly
and Leg Injuries are Common.
( The Cygnet Below is Pinioned.)

Their First Primary Wing Feathers are Larger then they will be
the Rest of their Lives..
Larger Feathers for more Control.. Softer Landings..
These are Nature’s “Training Wheel.”

At Six Months their Bones are Close to the Adult Size..
NOW it is Time for Bone Development Changes
and for Minerals to Start to Strengthen the Bone Scaffolding.
They will SLOWLY become Firm – more Solid/Dense..
This will take Another Year + Plus..

BUT, Their Bones are Still Developing.. Their Legs are Still Fragile !
HANDLE Cygnets Gently. Very Little Pressure on their Legs.
They Bend Easily.. Handle like a Fine Stemware Wine Glass..

The Cygnet Below: Notice her Leg Bone ( Blue Cable Tie) is Bent.

Cygnets at 4-6 Months are Old Enough to be Cared for as Adults..
>>>Except for being VERY CAREFUL with their Legs,
which are Still Fragile and Injure Easily..

DO NOT Chase them or Put ANY Pressure on their Legs,
No Twisting their Legs as they are Growing..
Take Care when Traveling with Young Swans/Any Swans
that you DO NOT take Turns TOO Fast or STOP Suddenly
and Knock the Swans OFF their Feet.

If there is Room in their Travel Container Swans may Stand
to Stretch their Leg while your Vehicle is Moving.

Any “Pressure Bends” CAN NOT be Corrected.
The Internal Struts in their Hollow Bones are Damaged.

The First 6-9 Month the Legs of Cygnets are Growing Fast..
Stretching into their Adult Shape and Size the Structures are Thin..

Cygnet Legs Start to Firm from ca. 8 to 24 Months..
Swan Bones are NOT as Solid as Mammal Bones.
Bird Bones Remain Light Weight.. so they can Fly..

If Hand Raised Cygnets are Kept in a Shelter with Very Little SunShine,
Depending on their Diet, they may have an Inbalance
of Bone Healthy Vitamins, Minerals and Exercise.

Bone Density Reflects Mineral Content for Bone Firmness.

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Some Years Mute Cygnets Hatch VERY Early in the Spring.
and they are Sheltered to Protect them from the Cold…
and/or the Predators that Snatch these Tiny Fuzz Balls..

The Swan Family below Started with 6 Cygnets..
A Red-tailed Hawk Snatched 3 Cygnets within 10 Days.

Black Australian Cygnets often Hatch in COLD Weather (March)
and are Often Sheltered the First Several Weeks
when they Legs are Growing SO FAST.
Not Sure Most will have even a Kidde Pools.. or SunLight

Being in the Water to Work their Legs is GOOD.
Allow them to SWIM as Much as Possible. ( being Safe..)
Be Sure they can get IN and OUT of the Water Easily…

Below we Used a Kidde Pool on a Slope with the Side Cut to the Ground.
This Cygnet’s Legs were Bent when an Adult Male Sat on her..
Her Legs were Bent-Very Sore, she Scooted on her Belly.

Cracked Corn is NOT a Complete Diet.. !!!!
The General Cygnet Feeding Tips are on this Topic Page..

Feeding Swan Cygnets
https://swanlovers.net/category/feeding-swan-cygnets/
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We had Several, NOT a Large Sample of Cygnets,
that had some Leg Issues due their Poor Diet..

Correcting their Poor Diet most Cygnets did Improved..
“Abigail” is an Example..

The Commercial Poultry Feeds will have Vitamins and Calcium..etc.
Swan are Birds – Poultry Feed is for Birds..

They Need to Keep their Body Weight in Balance
with their Leg Growth.. This can be Tricky..

As they Rapidly Gain Weight, their Legs are often under Stress..
Stress may Cause the Leg Bones to Twist.
The Bones are Stretching and Growing RAPIDLY.. They are Thin..
At Times the Cygnets Walk as if their Legs are Sore..

Some Young Cygnets may have Shaky Legs when Walking or Standing..
They Avoiding being Out of the Water.. Sitting more then Walking..

Young “Philo’s” Owner was Worried about his Shaky Legs.
As he Grew his Shaking Legs did Stop.

I Presume this is Similar to Kids with “Growing Pains.”
I have Observed this when we Hand Raised Cygnets.

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So being in Water Helps keep their Weight OFF their Legs.
And Works ALL their Leg Muscles.

SUNLIGHT is Important for Vitamin D.. ( Shade on HOT Days. )
Hopefully as they Grow, their Legs will Strengthen
in the Proper Shapes. Nature is Moulding them.

Personally, I would Add some Crushed Boiled Egg Shells.
A TSP to a Gallon of Feed Mixture….( OR Fine Oyster Shell )

The Cygnets with Injured Legs were Never Quite Right..
In the Mute Swan Community, MANY Swans Limp..

The Precious Young Female below was Lucky.
She was Attacked by a Bob Cat and Escaped. One Leg was Twisted.
It took Close to a Year for her to Walk well.  She Limps.
In her Pond she is “Princess Hannah.”

Swans that Limp or have Some Leg /Foot Issues is VERY Common.
In the Water they do Fine.. On Land.. Far from their Pond/Water..
they are more Vulnerable.. Especially when Pinioned..
Encourage your Swans to Stay Close to their Water.

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I have Learned of Too Many Swans who had Broken Legs..
They are Seldom OK..

Most of the Cygnets or Swans with Displaced Leg Fractures..
did not Survive very Long.. These Fractures did not Heal..
A Poor Blood Supply and Damaged Nerves the Legs will not Function.

These Two Black Swan Cygnets had Poor Union of their Fractures..

One had been Dropped Over a Fence, the Impact Broke his Leg..

The Other ( Poor Diet ) his Leg Broke when he was Hit
with a Chunk of Lettuce.. OUCH !

This Mature Cob was Pushed Sideways.. It Broke his One Leg.
It was Pinned and he was Confined for Weeks.. It did not Heal..

Their Legs Died..and so did they.

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The Xray Attached is of a Young Cygnet..
who was Fluttering Down a Hill and Landed in Shallow Water.
His Foot Hit a Flat Rock and Cracked his Leg Bone..

He was a Lucky One.. his Leg Healed.. Xrayed Three Times.
His Adoption was Delayed 6-7 Weeks.

Be Gentle with Swan Cygnet Legs..

********************************************

Some Broken Wings … Can be Splinted

or if Needed be Removed..

Captive Waterfowl will Adapt to a Damaged Wing being Removed.

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CHECK Your Pond Area for Tangle Hazards !

********

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This was a Fun Topic Page to Organize..

Swan Cygnets Grow SO FAST Day 1 to 12 Months..
https://swanlovers.net/category/swan-cygnets-grow-so-fast/

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I am Only going to Provide Basic Information about Avian Bones..

Watching with Aww Birds Flying is Something many of us have Done.
Soaring High in the Sky.. Zipping into Trees.. Landing on Lawns.
OR Watching Waterfowl Glide onto a Water Surface.

A Bird’s Skeleton must be Very Strong to Meet the Demands of Flight.
And Birds Need to be as Light as Possible in Order to Fly.
The Bones of Birds are Lighter in Weight than those of Mammals.

What is the Main Difference between Bird Bones and Mammal Bones?

Bird Bones are Hollow or Semi-Hollow and have Large Air Chambers.

Mammal Bones are Filled with Bone Marrow and Spongy Tissue.

All Birds that Fly have Hollow Bones that have many Pockets of Air.
Their Bones are held together by Thin Bar-like Structures called Struts.

The Struts Prevent the Bones from Collapsing Inward with the
Pressure of Landing.. Healthy Mature Bird Bones are Stronger
than Mammal Bones because their Bones have Denser Calcium-Minerals.

When Bird Bones Break, they tend to Shatter and Splinter
while Mammal Bones tend to Break Relatively Cleanly.

Birds have Evolved for Flight by a Reduction in Absolute Bone Mass.
Unlike Humans, who have Massive Bones, Birds have Pneumatized Bones.
Their Bones contain Hollow Structures Accessible to Air.

Their Hollow Bones are Part of the Avian Respiratory System.
These Hollow Air Chambers are Honeycombed with Criss-Crossing Struts
which Increase Structural Strength while Reducing Bone Mass.

The Pneumatic Bones, include the Skull, Humerus, Clavicle, Keel,
Pelvic Girdle, Lumbar and Sacral Vertebrae.

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Organized for Your Information by Linda M. Sweger August 2023.

Below I am Adding some Individual Cygnet-Swan Stories.
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**************************************************

Sadly we have to Rescue and Move a Brood of Cygnets.
After Hours Traveling together the Cygnets were a Poopy Mess.

We had the Cygnets in our Spare Shower for Several Days.
The Slippy Surface Caused their Legs to Splay in ALL Directions.

Terry Towels on the Shower Floor Provided Traction.

This Brood was SO CUTE !

I Pinioned them and we Arranged for them
to go to a BackYard Rescue with a Pond to be Hand Raised.

One more Shower Clean-up and we are Heading to the Rescue.

The 7 Cygnets Grew that Summer and ALL were Adopted.
A Rescued Mute Cob cared for them as his.  So Cute.
Some Adult Swans will Accept Unrelated Cygnets
OTHERs will Reject and Attack them.

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The Story of “Little Cutie.”

My Summary of her Groin Injures will be Brief.. 

There were a Number of Unrelated Swans and Cygnets
on a Pond of a Swan Breeder.

One of the Adult Female Swans got behind this Cygnet,
Put her Feet between the Cygnet’s Legs,
and Flipped the Cygnet’s Legs Back and Upward.
This Pulled the Groin Muscles.

This Action Disabled the Cygnet.. She could not Walk.
The Muscles were So Sore she would Barely Swim.
For Months “Little Cutie” had to be Carried from Place to Place.

It was Puzzling to me.. This Cygnet Stopped Growing.
Her Nest Mates on the Pond Grew Normally.
By December of that Year.. “Little Cutie” Passed.

I have Witness this Disabling Behavior by Adult Pens.
If they Disable Unwanted Cygnets.. they do not Survive.
In the Wild these Cygnets would be Left Behind and Perish.

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Many Adult Swans want Nothing to do with Unrelated Cygnets.

This Young Cygnet’s Legs were Bent
When a Adult Cob Sat on her.. to Kill her.
He wanted to Push the Air OUT of her Lungs.

WEEKs of Quiet and she was Standing !
Her Overall Growth Slowed Down.. She Stunted.

Stunting occurs when there is Insufficient Nutrition
to Grow and Develop.
It is often Exacerbated by Disease and Poor Health.
“Regina” did not have a Good Appetite..

We Named her “Regina” – Little Queen..
Her Adopters Renamed her “Queen Elizabeth” > “Lizzie.”

It was Several Months before “Regina”/”Lizzie”
was able to Leave the Pond and Graze in their Grass Yard.

Watching “Lizzie” Struggle to Walk was so Sad..
She was Very Vulnerable out of the Pond..
A Predator Ended her Struggle.
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  “Lily” was Found in our Neighborhood
after a Tropical Storm Blew Through. She was Full-Winged.
She was taken to a Swan Farm as a Rescue.
If Possible it is Good for Swans to have Company.  BUT…

The Older Swans Attacked her Over Night.
We brought her to our BackYard Enclosure to Recover
until we could Arrange a Forever Home.

Her Groin Muscles had been Pulled. She could barely Stand.
It took WEEKs for “Lily” to Stand, Walk and Turn Normally.

We Arrange for “Lily” to be Pinioned by a Veterinarian.

“Lily’s” New Home was Full of Adventures.

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” Why is this Happening ? “

I Received a Call and an EMailed Photo of this Trumpeter Swan Cygnet.

He was One of a Brood of Four.  Three Cygnets were Healthy.
This Cygnet was Under Weight and Withdrew from the other Cygnets,
and his Legs were Turning Inward. 

???? Is this a Runt.. It is Not Developing Normally.
This Cygnet did not Survive very Long.

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I Hope ALL your Cygnets will be Healthy !

AND HAVE CUTE LEGs !

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