Ducks are semi-aquatic birds with strong behavioral needs for water. Commercial duck farming that denies water access creates significant welfare deficits for millions of birds annually.
Water access is not a luxury for ducks — it is a fundamental behavioral need. Ducks denied open water cannot perform essential preening behaviors that maintain feather waterproofing and body condition. Eye and nostril cleaning, which ducks do by dunking their heads, becomes impossible, leading to chronic eye irritation and respiratory health problems. The frustration of strongly motivated water-seeking behavior in a dry environment constitutes a continuous welfare deficit. Commercial duck farming has for decades treated water access as an economic inconvenience rather than an animal welfare requirement. The evidence is now clear that meeting this need is both economically feasible and ethically necessary.