Ducks farmed for meat face welfare challenges distinct from those of chickens; their aquatic behavioral needs and growth rates create specific welfare priorities.
Farmed duck welfare suffers from a combination of factors: growth rate selection similar to broilers, denial of water access for behavioral maintenance, and relative lack of welfare-focused research and regulation. Fast-growing duck breeds show leg disorders that limit mobility and cause pain. Without open water, ducks accumulate facial discharge, develop eye problems, and cannot engage in preening behavior that maintains feather condition. These are not minor inconveniences — they represent chronic welfare compromise affecting essentially all commercially farmed ducks in systems without open water access. The welfare case for open water provision is scientifically robust, and some welfare certification schemes now require it. Consumer awareness is low but growing.