Long Island’s duck farming origins date back to the 1870s, with the introduction of the Pekin duck to U.S. soil. It became a favored poultry in the 1900s, especially among restaurant chefs. By the early 1960s, Long Island farms were producing some 7.5 million ducks a year. At one time, there were over 90 duck farms supplying most of the needs of the country, today there is only one left.
The farming had a detrimental environmental impact due to waste runoff entering the waterways. Starting in the 1970s, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation set stricter regulations on land use. Skyrocketing Hampton real estate prices proved another combatant, as did suburban sprawl, especially owing to the pungent aroma that emanated from the holdouts.
The Big Duck, as it’s unoriginally named, was constructed by duck farming Martin Maurer in 1931 as a retail venue for his ducks and eggs, became a must-see U.S. landmark that was later entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Here is how it stands today…
