Ducks farmed for meat and foie gras face welfare challenges that receive less public and regulatory attention than chickens, yet the scale and severity of welfare issues are comparable or greater.
Duck welfare suffers from a visibility problem; public concern is dominated by chickens and pigs, leaving ducks with weaker regulatory protection and less consumer awareness despite significant welfare problems. The denial of water access in commercial duck farming is one of the clearest examples of a fundamental behavioural need being systematically unmet at enormous scale. Ducks without water access cannot perform preening behaviour essential for feather waterproofing and skin health, leading to feather deterioration and skin problems. Research consistently shows that when ducks are given water access, they use it immediately and extensively, confirming the strength of their motivation. Foie gras production represents an additional severe welfare problem specific to ducks and geese, involving repeated force-feeding through tubes. The combination of scale and severity makes duck welfare one of the less visible but significant issues in farm animal welfare.