Ducks are a significant aquatic species with specific behavioural needs for water that are almost universally unmet in commercial duck farming, creating chronic welfare deficits for millions of birds.
Duck welfare presents one of the clearest gaps between welfare science and regulatory standards in farm animal production. Ducks are waterfowl -- water immersion is not a preference but a biological necessity for preening, eye and bill health, and thermoregulation. A duck that cannot immerse its bill cannot clean its nostrils; one that cannot bathe cannot maintain feather waterproofing critical for thermoregulation. The welfare case for water access is unambiguous and undisputed in the scientific literature. The barrier to change is purely economic: providing water access in commercial duck systems adds cost and management complexity. Consumer pressure and welfare certification have begun to drive change, but slowly.