The most graceful and majestic bird is considered to be a swan. Many believe that in the winter all birds will fly to warmer countries, but this is not quite so. Many species overwinter in our latitudes, and often they need our help in survival. Today we will talk about feeding wild animals and feeding pets.
What swan eats in nature
Swans find for themselves food both on land and in water, dropping their long neck to the bottom in shallow water. 
On the lake
In the water the bird finds:
- seaweed;
- fruits of aquatic plants;
- duckweed;
- rhizomes of cane;
- small crustaceans;
- mollusks;
- worms.
It is interesting to get acquainted with the most popular breeds of swans.
On the land
On land also a varied diet:
- insects and their larvae;
- worms;
- fresh grass;
- wild cereals;
- seeds;
- roots;
- young willow branches.
In the fields to their place of residence, swans select cereal grains, and some individuals like raw potatoes.Did you know? The image of a swan is represented in the myths of many nations of the world. In ancient Greece, Zeus in the form of a bird seduced Leda, Apollo flew to Hyperborea in a chariot drawn by proud birds. In ancient German legends, Valkyries possessed a swan body. At Etruscan swans carried a solar disk across the sky.
Top dressing of birds in the winter
Healthy wild birds for the winter accumulate reserves of fat, which help them to survive with a poor winter diet. But in a harsh winter (frost below 15 ° C) or a weakened, it is possible that the bird must be fed with an illness or injury, otherwise it will die. For these purposes, feeders are installed on the ice of frozen reservoirs or on the shore. 
What can be fed
Usually, grain, animal feed for chickens or other poultry are poured into the feeders.
Read also about breeding swans at home.
Oatmeal or Oatmeal
This cereal and cereal from it contains fatty acids, minerals, protein and carbohydrates. Calcium and iron are needed by the body for strong bones and muscle tissue, a sufficient level of hemoglobin. Magnesium and potassium support the heart, the digestive system and the central nervous system. Protein and carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and fatty acids help to retain heat and prevent hypothermia. 
Wheat
Grain contains almost the entire group of vitamins B, and this is the health of many systems: digestive, nervous, endocrine. Vitamins E and C help the bird to strengthen the immune system, to maintain a healthy skin and feather cover. Minerals are responsible for the health of bones and joints, fiber facilitates and improves digestion.
Millet
Millet is rich in protein - a source of energy, fats, starch. The latter in the process of synthesis in the body is converted into glucose - an additional source of energy. By the way, millet waste is a frequent component for mixed feeds. Millet is also rich in micro and macronutrients and mineral salts.
Barley
Barley is also used in the production of concentrated feed for animals and birds. It includes a large amount of minerals, organic acids, vitamins (A, B, E, C), fiber, and other useful substances. This is one of the few cereals that contains lysine, which regulates cholesterol levels in mammals and birds.
Did you know? Swans are considered the patrons of sailors. There is such a sign: if at the beginning of the journey a flock flew over the sea, it means that the voyage will take place without incident.
What can not be fed
Feeding up the swans, you need to know the list of products that can be harmful to health. 
Black and white bread
Rye bread is rich in acids, which are irritating to the mucous, and it is absolutely impossible to give it. The same applies to the sweet baking of wheat flour: sugar will ferment in the stomach and may affect blood clots. Baked goods with various additives can also negatively affect the processes of digestion. Wheat bread can be given in small quantities.
Important! Bread should be thrown into the water, so that birds immediately washed down with it. It facilitates digestion.
Spoiled products
Products with rotted or covered with mold in places are strictly contraindicated - this is a hotbed of pathogenic microorganisms. At best, they will cause indigestion, at worst - poisoning, death.
Chips, Sausage
Products of this kind have many additives - flavor enhancers, stabilizers, may contain genetically modified components, trans fats. Such an explosive mixture, and besides it, an excess of salt, can cause damage to the mucous membranes, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
What to feed domestic swans
Usually, domestic swans are fed twice a day. Dry mixes are soaked in water. 
Summer diet
In the summer, as in the natural environment, the diet consists of animals and green fodder:
- 250 g - cereals (barley, millet, millet);
- 230 g - fish, minced meat;
- 500 g - greens and vegetables;
- 15 g - shell rock, chalk, bone meal.
Important! There must be a reservoir on the territory. It can be artificial. In this case, algae and small crustaceans such as Gammarus are bred in it.
Winter diet
The winter diet is characterized by the almost complete exclusion of animal feed: in nature, it is problematic to get it from under the snow. Also birds get less succulent fodder. 
The diet consists of the following products:
- boiled peas - 50 g;
- steamed chaff -150 g;
- a mixture of cereals - 200 g;
- soaked makuha - 70 g;
- cabbage and carrots - 100 g;
- boiled potatoes, beets - 50 g;
- minced meat and fish - 100 g;
- wheat bran - 50 g;
- mineral dressing - 5 g
It will be useful for you to learn how to build a pond on a plot with your own hands.
Feeding the sick swan
The diet of diseased birds differs in that more vitamins and mineral supplements are added to food. They try to water the bird more, especially if it has taken antibiotics. Together with water, the decay products of drugs will be rapidly eliminated from the body. 
In case of poisoning
When a swan is poisoned, the following symptoms will torment you:
- diarrhea;
- loss of appetite, perhaps regurgitation of food;
- lethargy;
- feather cover ruffled.
With salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is treated with antibiotics: "Norsulfazol" for 6 days, along with drinking 0.5 ml per individual. In addition, they carry out a complete disinfection of the house and equipment, replace the litter. In the feed it will be useful to add dairy products: milk or yogurt.
You will be interested to get acquainted with various species of peacocks, ostriches, ducks and wild geese.
In principle, feeding swans is not too different from feeding geese or ducks. If you have a desire to breed them - remember that waterfowl require water procedures both in summer and in winter.
