Ducks evolved as aquatic animals but are typically farmed without open water, creating severe welfare deficits that are rarely addressed in welfare standards.
Ducks deprived of open water develop eye infections, respiratory problems, and feather degradation. Their inability to engage in species-typical aquatic behaviors causes chronic frustration and distress. Yet water access is often excluded from welfare standards due to cost, leaving billions of ducks in conditions fundamentally mismatched to their biology.