Farmed Duck Welfare and Water Access

Ducks are waterfowl with strong behavioral needs for water access that are routinely denied in commercial production, causing significant welfare deficits across billions of birds.

Key Facts

Global duck production exceeds 3 billion birds annually, with China producing over 70% of the total
Commercial ducks are typically raised in conditions that provide no swimming or bathing water
Water immersion is a defining behavioral need for ducks — they use water for preening, thermoregulation, and social behavior
Ducks without open water develop eye and bill disorders due to inability to clean sensory structures
The EU requires ducks to have access to open water sufficient for head immersion as a minimum standard

Welfare Considerations

Duck welfare illustrates how a species with clear, specific behavioral needs can be farmed in systems that deny those needs entirely. Ducks evolved as waterfowl — their bill, eye, and feather structures are adapted for an aquatic lifestyle, and deprivation of open water access causes both direct suffering (eye and bill irritation, overheating) and frustration of highly motivated behaviors. In systems without any open water, ducks show persistent water-seeking behaviors at drinker nipples — attempting to immerse their bills and heads in sources designed for chickens. Eye conditions including periorbital swelling and conjunctivitis are significantly more common in water-deprived ducks. Providing even basic open-water troughs or sprinklers significantly improves welfare at modest cost. Consumer awareness of duck welfare conditions remains very low despite the scale of production.

What You Can Do

Choose duck products from farms with open water access certification
Support Compassion in World Farming campaigns for mandatory open water access in duck farming
Reduce or eliminate consumption of duck products until welfare standards improve across the sector