Farmed Duck Welfare: Access to Water for Bathing and Feeding

Ducks have a fundamental biological need for water for bathing and drinking in association with eating. Intensive systems that deny open water access cause significant and chronic welfare deprivation.

Key Facts

Ducks have a highly specialised bill designed for sieving water and preening that requires immersion
Ducks denied open water for bathing show poor plumage condition, eye discharge and chronic stress indicators
Approximately 19 million ducks are produced for meat annually in the UK, most without open water access
EU Directive 2007/43/EC does not apply to ducks, leaving their welfare largely unregulated
Provision of overhead sprinklers or open water drinkers partially addresses needs but cannot replace bathing

Welfare Considerations

Ducks kept without open water experience a fundamental failure to meet a core biological need. The motivation to bathe and swim is so strong that ducks provided with water after a period of deprivation show intense and prolonged bathing behaviour, demonstrating the degree of deprivation experienced. Without bathing, plumage waterproofing fails, eye health deteriorates and the bill cannot be maintained in functional condition. The scale of duck production without open water access globally means hundreds of millions of birds are experiencing this deprivation annually. This represents a preventable welfare failure that can be addressed through modest infrastructure investment.

What You Can Do

Choose duck products from certified free-range or organic systems that provide open water access
Support labelling requirements that indicate whether ducks had access to open water during rearing
Advocate for inclusion of ducks in farm animal welfare legislation requiring species-specific standards
Reduce consumption of duck from intensive systems without open water access
Engage with food retailers about their duck supplier welfare requirements