The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: nic99 on September 04, 2011, 03:24:51 pm
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I live right on the banks of the river Tay in North Fife. For the last few days there has been a cygnet on the beach infront of our house. It quite clearly has a severe case of angel wing on both sides, the new feathers are coming through and sticking out at right angles from the body. The parents are hanging around further upstream but there are no signs of any other cygnets so i'm guessing the others have all left home. I would say it is almost fully grown. I was hoping for people's opinions on whether or not to intervene. It is super tame, it will take food from my hand and will let me stroke it. I am sure it will live quite happily in my field alongside my ducks, fenced in away from dogs, but I am not sure if it would be ethical to remove it from the wild.
Nicola
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I would. It'll probably die otherwise. But I ignore ethics when a life is there to be saved.
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The cygnet has taken a turn for the worse. I think the parents may have had a go at it. Found it stranded on the beach yesterday evening unable to walk. It is now in my kitchen awaiting collection from the SSPCA.
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Well done! I'm sure it will be happier as a healthy semi-tame park/pet swan than as a deformed wild one and angel wing isn't hard to cure :-*
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it will more than likly be put down but that maybe for the best
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Yes, sadly it had to be put down. It was severely malnourished and possibly had a broken spine. Plus the collection officer said it was automatic policy to euthanase any with angel wing anyway, as it is genetic and they can't be allowed to breed. I thought it was through too much protein in the diet, but he was adamant it was genetic.