Water access for bathing is a fundamental behavioural need for domestic ducks that is denied in most commercial systems, representing one of the clearest welfare deficits in modern poultry production.
Duck water access is a welfare issue where the science is unambiguous and the gap between knowledge and practice is enormous. Ducks are waterfowl; their biology, morphology, and behaviour have been shaped by millions of years of aquatic life. Denying water access does not change this biology; it simply prevents its expression. The frustration of a strong behavioural motivation that cannot be satisfied is understood in welfare science to constitute a negative affective state. The practical barriers to providing water in commercial duck production relate to litter management, as wet litter creates disease risk, and capital costs of appropriate water systems. These are engineering problems with solutions; some producers have demonstrated that open water systems can be managed effectively at commercial scale. The regulatory and market pressure to resolve this gap is growing.