Ducks are highly water-dependent birds whose farming conditions frequently deprive them of water access essential to their behavioral and physical health.
Farmed ducks are physiologically adapted for aquatic environments but are routinely denied meaningful water access in commercial production. Without open water, ducks cannot perform essential maintenance behaviors including head dipping to clear eyes and nostrils, bathing to maintain feather waterproofing, and drinking in ways suited to their anatomy. Eye infections and respiratory problems are endemic in ducks kept without water access. Foie gras production involves force-feeding via esophageal tubes that cause fear, pain, and liver disease — a practice rejected as cruel by most European governments. Higher-welfare duck farming requires access to bathing water as a minimum standard.