Ducks are highly motivated to access water for bathing and foraging, yet most commercial duck farming denies them this basic need. Water access is central to duck welfare.
Water deprivation in farmed ducks represents a fundamental welfare failure — ducks are aquatic birds whose entire behavioral repertoire is oriented around water. Without bathing access, ducks cannot maintain feather condition, clean their eyes and nostrils, or perform social water-play behaviors. Research shows ducks work hard to access open water even when other resources are available. Eye lesions and respiratory problems are more common in ducks denied water. Providing open water at trough depth sufficient for head immersion dramatically improves welfare at modest cost. Forage troughs where ducks can submerge their heads provide minimum acceptable provision.