How Much Does a Swan Cost?

Last Updated on December 28, 2023
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Swans are beautiful creatures but they are known to be occasionally aggressive.

They will attack especially when trying to prevent someone from getting in contact with their female.

This means that you should really try to avoid these birds during the mating season.

Of course, swans aren’t your usual pets, so not a lot of people around the world will keep one around the house.

This means that information related to their costs isn’t as easy to find as you might expect, but as usual, we were able to find just enough to figure out how much a swan would cost.

Did you know that there are multiple varieties of swans in the US? Although, the most common ones you will come across will be the whoppers, the black swans, trumpeter swans, mute swans, and black-necked swans.

When getting a swan most people will opt for the mute swan, as it is usually the cheapest alternative. These birds can be bought either online or from local breeders.

How Much Does a Swan Cost?

The cost of a swan will usually depend on several factors including where you buy it from, how many you buy, their age, and their variety, although you will usually spend anywhere between $300 and $11,250 on a single swan. If you only need a swan egg, you are likely to spend anywhere between $75 and $100 on it. 

Although the initial price of buying a swan, other aspects will help you be aware of the additional fees around the swan.

On Softbillsforsale.com for example, a seller lists three swans, a pair, and an additional female, for $700, while another individual sells two black swans for $1,200 + shipping. There is also an ad that offers a breeding pair of mute swans for $2,800 at the time this article is written.

Purely Poultry, on the other hand, has considerably higher prices. the price of just one white mute swan starts at around $3,100 with free shipping, a black-necked swan can be bought for around $6,800, while a whooper swan will cost around $11,250.

Stromberg’s Chickens also sells swans with prices between $2,700 and $5,700 for a pair depending on their variety and age.

Of course, the expenses won’t stop at just the acquisition price. There are other aspects you should consider as well, especially related to the additional costs of owning the bird.

Keep in mind that raising a swan will also mean spending on creating a proper environment for it as well as paying for its food on a regular basis.

Maintenance Costs for a Swan

Just like owning any other live bird, keeping a swan will mean regular expenses.

First off, you will have to create and maintain a livable habitat that is comfortable for them to live in. This is crucial if you want to ensure that your birds will have a happy and healthy life around you.

You might also like our articles on the cost of ducks, chickens, and pigeons.

And you might think it is easier to just get an egg, but properly incubating an egg will require a whole number of rules in order to ensure you get a healthy swan out of it.

Swan Egg Keeping Cost

When looking to get a swan egg, knowing the needed information to handle it properly is vital.

Most swans will lay between 4 and 7 eggs each. Incubation lasts between 30 to 37 days. To ensure proper incubation of the eggs, you will have to get a high-quality incubator.

You can find a few different models of incubators on big online retailers like Amazon. These will have varying prices depending on your requirements.

Be prepared to spend between $70 and $300 for an incubator on Amazon, depending on the brand and features it has.

To ensure a smooth incubation process, you will have to learn things like the perfect humidity and temperature, as well as rules you need to follow for proper egg development.

Abrupt changes in temperature or humidity have oftel led to many swan eggs going to waste.

Keep in mind that the environment in which a swan lives is vital for its health, as swans aren’t known as great adapters to new environments that don’t provide their basic needs.

Water Costs For Maintaining Swans

Before even considering getting a swan you should make sure you have a body of water big enough for these birds.

It’s not really surprising that you can’t just keep a swan indoors when it reaches maturity. A fully grown swan will require an outdoor body of water of considerable sizes, like a pool or pond.

The temperature of both the environment and the water should be kept within certain values regardless of the season, which means that you will have to figure out a way of providing the necessary warmth during the winter season.

Depending on the size of the habitat, an aerator should be enough for this. These can also be found under multiple brands and with multiple features on big online retailers like Amazong. Look hard enough and you might be able to snatch a great deal for one of these.

Keep in mind that the pool or pond will have to be big enough for them to have enough room to move. These birds also use water for the digestion process.

So although you can start off with a smaller sized pool, you will, eventually, need to expand it to fit the bird’s needs.

Food Cost For Swans

You will have to provide your swan with food that covers all of the nutritional needs.

In the wild, swans will graze on grass but in captivity, you can give them bird feed as the main food source.

You can also diversify the diet of these birds with some types of vegetables and fruits.

Swans also eat small fish, some insects, and different types of lettuce.

The easiest route when it comes to these birds is to just get bird food from your local mill. You won’t have to spend more than $10 to $12 for a 50 LB bag.

Important This to Consider

Swans don’t go along with small children, so if you have a small child in your house, you should try to keep them away from the bird.

Swans are known to get more aggressive during the mating season. They are even known to attack and hurt small children during that time.

If you really want to get a swan although you have children, the best way to approach this is by building a proper fence around the shelter of the bird.

This will prevent children from getting to close to the birds.

Health Issues to Consider

It is very important that you wash your hands every time you get in contact with these birds.

It’s not uncommon for swans and even ducks to develop salmonella.

This disease can easily infect humans of all ages.

Conclusion

Swans aren’t cheap birds to buy or take care of and keeping one around the house will surely be harder than taking care of a dog or a cat. This is why, before getting one, make sure you do proper research and know exactly what you’re getting into and how you can ensure that the bird will get the best possible care.