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A Long Island duck farm is working hard to bounce back after being forced to cull nearly 100,000 birds due to a harsh outbreak of bird flu — and the road to recovery isn’t as hopeful as they'd like.
99,000 Ducks Gone Overnight
Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, owned by farmer Doug Corwin, was hit hard by the H1N5 strain of avian flu. In a move to contain the spread, the farm had to cull 99,000 mallards. That’s nearly the entire flock — a devastating blow to any operation, especially one this large.
A Glimmer of Hope: 3,700 New Chicks Hatch
Fast forward a month, and the farm has managed to hatch a new generation — 3,700 chicks — from sanitized eggs. While this is a small win, it barely makes a dent in replacing what was lost. State officials had cleaned 15,000 eggs at an off-site hatchery, but only 9,000 were viable, and less than half of those hatched. It’s a tough number to swallow.
“If It Happens Again, We’re Done”
Farm president James Corwin didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “As a farmer, I was hoping for better,” he told Riverhead Local. The low hatch rate is frustrating, and the fear of another outbreak looms heavy. “If it happens again, we’re done,” Corwin said.
Farmers Push Back on Vaccination, Despite Rising Pressure
There’s also growing frustration with policy around bird flu prevention. Currently, the USDA doesn’t allow poultry vaccination against H1N5, and many overseas buyers won’t accept vaccinated birds anyway. Corwin, like many others in the poultry industry, remains opposed to vaccination — even as egg prices soar and losses mount.
Vaccine Development in the Works
Animal health company Zoetis has received conditional approval from the USDA’s National Veterinary Stockpile to move forward with an H1N5 vaccine. It’s a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve the current crisis for farmers like Corwin who are still reeling from massive losses.
Industry-Wide Impact: Hens, Turkeys, and Geese Hit Hard
This isn’t just a duck issue. The H1N5 outbreak, which began in 2022, has impacted chickens, turkeys, and geese across the U.S. In 2024 alone, 40 million laying hens were lost to the virus. In California, over half the state’s egg-laying hens — around 52% — have died since January 2024, leaving just 4.4 million in production.
Egg Prices Skyrocket Amid Mass Culling
And yes — consumers are feeling it. Egg prices are climbing fast, directly tied to the losses and culling that have swept the poultry industry. In the first six weeks of 2025, 27 million hens were culled. That's a brutal pace, and it's leaving a huge hole in supply.
Final Thoughts This crisis is far from over, and as nesting season ramps up, bird control professionals and poultry farmers alike will need to stay alert. Whether it's improving sanitation, enhancing surveillance, or investing in long-term biosecurity protocols, this wave of avian flu is forcing the industry to rethink how we protect flocks moving forward.
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