Our Process
Hatching
Eggs are collected from parent birds and delivered to our Hatchery where they are incubated and hatch within 28 days. The ducks are then transported to family farms.
Farm
Farm families care for our ducks according to our guidelines. The farms are visited by MLF Field Techs and undergo audits through our Trident Stewardship Program.
Feed
Our ducks are fed a grain-based diet formulated by our nutritionist. The feed is made with corn from local farmers and never contains antibiotics or growth hormones.
Food Processing
Ducks are humanely processed at USDA-inspected processing plants. All products are inspected in accordance with MLF & USDA quality and food safety guidelines.
Markets
Maple Leaf Farms products are sold to foodservice operators, retailers and direct to consumers.
Our Farms & Facilities
Our Sustainability Focus
Maple Leaf Farms was truly born from a sustainable idea. Donald Wentzel founded our company after several years as a poultry feed salesman in the Northeast. He had seen the great expense that Long Island duck producers went to in procuring and transporting feed ingredients to their operations. He thought it made more sense to raise ducks in the Midwest where corn and soybeans were readily available and where finished goods would be more centrally located to major markets throughout the country.
Raising Ducks Humanely
Maple Leaf Farms was the first duck company in North America to implement a detailed duck well-being program that includes science-based duck care for all stages of production, a training program for staff and growers, and an audit system that helps us continually identify areas for improvement. It sets the industry standard for duck care all over the world.
