Ducks have profound behavioral needs for water — yet most commercial duck farming denies them adequate water access, causing significant and preventable welfare harm.
Duck farming presents one of the clearest examples of a welfare need that is both scientifically well-established and systematically denied in most commercial production. Water immersion is not an optional preference for ducks but a fundamental biological need — they use water to clean their eyes, nostrils, and feathers in ways that cannot be replicated with drinker systems alone. Eye problems, nasal blockages, and poor feather condition in commercially farmed ducks are the predictable consequences of keeping aquatic birds in systems designed for terrestrial poultry. Providing adequate water access does create management challenges, but these are solvable problems that the industry has too long used as justification for avoidable suffering.