Duck egg production, though smaller scale than chicken egg production, involves similar welfare challenges related to housing, water access, and the treatment of male ducklings.
Duck egg production welfare follows the same principles as duck meat production: water access for bathing is not merely preferred but physiologically necessary for duck health and behavioral expression. Nipple drinkers that provide only hydration without immersion deprive layer ducks of the ability to clean their eyes and nasal passages, leading to progressive health problems including infection and discomfort. The male duckling issue — the inevitable killing of half of all hatched chicks as a byproduct of sex-selective production — is an ethical problem shared with egg chicken production that awaits technological solutions (in-ovo sex determination before hatching). Free-range duck egg production with genuine water access represents a significantly higher welfare option that consumer market demand can make economically viable when appropriately priced.