Ducks are semi-aquatic birds with strong behavioral needs for open water — needs that intensive farming systems almost universally fail to meet, causing significant welfare compromise.
Duck welfare is compromised at the most fundamental level in intensive systems: the denial of open water access prevents ducks from performing the maintenance behaviors that are both biologically essential and naturally highly motivated. A duck that cannot bathe, cannot properly preen, and cannot flush its eyes and nostrils is experiencing a chronic form of deprivation analogous to preventing a social mammal from social contact. These needs are not preferences — they are biological requirements expressed through highly motivated behaviors that ducks will prioritize even when alternative resources are available. The welfare case for open water access is scientifically unambiguous; the barrier to implementation is cost and management complexity. Higher-welfare duck production with water access is commercially viable, as demonstrated by UK RSPCA Assured producers.