Ducks kept in intensive systems face welfare challenges rooted in their fundamental biological nature as water birds forced to live in dry, hard-floored environments.
Duck welfare in intensive systems illustrates how forcing aquatic animals into terrestrial production frameworks creates fundamental welfare problems. Ducks evolved with water as a central element of their environment — not a luxury but a physiological necessity for feather maintenance, thermoregulation, and behavioral health. Current regulatory frameworks for duck welfare were largely adapted from chicken welfare standards without adequate consideration of ducks anatomical and behavioral differences. The welfare reform agenda for ducks centers on water access: at minimum, ducks should be able to submerge their heads and rinse their eyes and nostrils in clean water, and ideally should have access to shallow bathing pools or ponds. Beyond water access, stocking density, litter management, and slaughter methods also require attention. Foie gras production represents the most extreme end of duck welfare concerns, with force-feeding causing liver disease, behavioral distress, and esophageal injury.