Ducks have strong instincts for water access that intensive farming often denies. Providing adequate water for bathing and foraging is a fundamental welfare requirement.
Duck water welfare is one of the clearest examples of a fundamental biological need being systematically denied in intensive production. Ducks evolved as aquatic-associated birds — their feather structure, nasal anatomy and thermoregulation are all adapted for regular water immersion. Denying open water causes measurable welfare harm including eye and nasal pathology, feather condition deterioration and chronic frustration. Providing even simple open water containers like troughs or shallow ponds dramatically reduces these welfare deficits. High-welfare duck standards that mandate open water access exist and are commercially viable — the absence of universal adoption reflects economic priorities rather than production impossibility.