Ducks are highly motivated to access open water for bathing and natural behaviour, yet most commercial duck farming systems deny this entirely. Improving welfare for the billions of ducks farmed annually requires attention to water, housing, and slaughter practices.
Ducks are behavioural specialists for aquatic environments. Denying water access does not eliminate the motivation — it creates chronic frustration that welfare science now recognises as a serious negative welfare state. The Five Freedoms framework clearly identifies the denial of species-appropriate behaviour as a welfare failure. Water provision — even simple troughs or showers — significantly reduces eye and nasal mucous membrane deterioration and reduces agonistic behaviours. At slaughter, the anatomy of ducks means standard electrical waterbath parameters designed for chickens often fail to stun ducks reliably. Controlled atmosphere stunning or correctly calibrated multi-phase electrical systems are preferable.