Early Duck Farm

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here’s a detailed look at the early history and rise of Long Island’s duck farming industry:

🦆 Origins & Pioneers

  • First Duck Farm (1858): The Atlantic Duck Farm opened in Speonk in 1858, marking the beginning of duck farming on Long Island

  • Introduction of Pekin Ducks (1872–1873): In 1872, Ed McGrath brought over Pekin duck eggs from China. Of the fifteen eggs incubated, nine ducks (three drakes, six ducks) survived the voyage and arrived in New York on March 13, 1873. These were promptly propagated locally as top-performing breeding stock

  • Spread Across the East End: The combination of sandy soil, mild climate, and freshwater creeks made the East End—especially areas like Moriches, Eastport, Speonk, and Riverhead—an ideal environment for duck farming

🚀 Rapid Growth & Peak Production

  • Turn‑of‑the‑Century Expansion: By 1900, about 30 duck farms operated on Long Island. Production surpassed 200,000 ducks annually in 1897 and surged to 2 million by 1922

  • Boom in the 1940s: Nearly 100 farms were active by 1940, especially concentrated between Moriches and Eastport, spanning over 224 acres. Workers included multi-generational family units and many immigrant laborers

  • National Dominance: During the mid-20th century, Long Island provided approximately 60–66% of all duck meat consumed in the U.S.

📍 Notable Farms & Landmarks

  • Speonk’s Atlantic Duck Farm: Held the title of the world’s largest duck farm from 1916 until it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938

  • Hollis Warner Farm (Riverhead): After Atlantic closed, this operation doubled its output to about 500,000 ducks annually

  • The Big Duck (Flanders, 1931): Constructed by Martin Maurer, this 20-foot concrete duck served as both a marketing tool and sales venue. It is now an iconic landmark and early example of “duck architecture”

🧺 Economic & Social Impact

  • Multi-faceted Industry: Ducks were valued not only for meat but also feathers, fertilizer, and other by-products. Labor and output played important roles in the WWII home front, earning ducktender sons wartime deferments

  • Supporting Economy: Processing facilities in Eastport and operations like the Bernstein family plant handled everything from slaughtering to feeding feathers to local industries citeturn2search18turn2search23.

🛑 Decline & Legacy

  • Environmental & Regulatory Pressures: Starting in the 1970s, pollution concerns from duck barn runoff led the NYS DEC to tighten environmental regulations. Real estate development and suburban sprawl, along with rising land prices, further diminished the industry

  • Industry Collapse: By late 20th century, most duck farms had shut down or relocated to states like Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California. Today, only Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue remains active

  • Cultural Remnants: The Long Island Ducks baseball team, the Big Duck landmark, and museum efforts preserve the island’s duck farming heritage

⚡ Why It Mattered

Long Island’s duck farms not only shaped the regional economy and employment of the East End—but also left a lasting mark on American agriculture, branding it as the nation’s “duck capital” throughout much of the 20th century.

Dino DiPietro