Ducks have strong behavioural drives toward water that are almost universally frustrated in commercial farming systems. Understanding these needs highlights a significant and largely unaddressed welfare gap.
Farmed ducks represent one of the clearest examples of a species whose fundamental behavioural needs are systematically denied in commercial production. Water immersion is not a luxury behaviour for ducks but an evolutionary necessity: they use water to maintain eye health, clear nasal passages, and enable preening of waterproof plumage. Without it, they develop chronic irritation and impaired plumage condition that compromises thermoregulation. The argument that providing water is impractical or too costly does not withstand scrutiny given the demonstrated welfare benefits and the availability of practical open-water provision systems including concrete pools and water troughs with sufficient depth for head immersion. The failure of most commercial duck farming to provide water access reflects an industry-wide prioritisation of production efficiency over even basic welfare. Consumer choice for higher-welfare certified products is one of the most direct levers available.