Ducks are waterbirds with strong motivation to immerse their heads and engage with water, and intensive farming systems that deny water access cause significant and measurable welfare deficits.
Duck welfare in intensive production systems is one of the clearer cases where scientific evidence of an unmet behavioural need is not yet reflected in minimum legal requirements. Ducks are waterbirds that show strong motivational states related to water engagement — preening, bathing, and head immersion are not luxuries but essential behaviours that maintain feather condition, eye health, and apparent psychological wellbeing. Ducks in systems with only nipple drinkers show elevated incidence of eye discharge, dirty plumage, and frustration behaviours. The barriers to providing open water access include hygiene management challenges and cost, but progressive producers have demonstrated that open water systems are manageable and the welfare benefits are substantial. Consumer demand for higher-welfare duck products and retailer policy commitments are the most effective drivers of improvement.