Duck farm owner sees new generation of ducks hatch after bird flu outbreak 

The prospect of reviving the Crescent Duck Farm moved a step closer to reality when owner Doug Corwin saw the first new generation of duck eggs hatched at two East End locations.

The farm was impacted by the bird flu last month and Corwin was forced to euthanize more than 99,000 ducks and quarantine the farm to sanitize its buildings.

Corwin was able to salvage between 10,000 and 15,000 duck eggs, which were incubated off-site after being sanitized, he said Tuesday morning.

But only about 3,700 ducklings hatched from that larger stockpile of eggs, Corwin said. The ducklings are being raised at two separate locations away from his Aquebogue farm.

Corwin said he’d need at least two generations of ducklings to establish the volume of his old farm, which supplies restaurants throughout the region and across the county.

He said if all goes as expected, he may be able to reestablish the farm sometime next year.

The farm remains under quarantine, with all visitors required to sanitize entering and leaving, and there’s a 10-kilometer quarantine around the property that limits the sale of live foul in that area.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.