Ducks are waterbirds with strong motivation to swim, bathe, and forage in water, yet the majority of farmed ducks globally are housed without water access beyond drinking, representing significant behavioral deprivation.
Duck welfare in conventional production involves the systematic deprivation of water access — the defining behavioral characteristic of waterfowl. Ducks without swimming or sufficient bathing water show behavioral frustration, perform vacuum swimming movements on dry substrates, and accumulate health problems from inability to clean their sensitive bills and eyes. The welfare contrast between ducks in systems with water access and those without is stark and observable — the behavioral richness of ducks with access to open water versus the behavioral suppression of those without represents one of the most visible welfare contrasts in animal agriculture. Because duck welfare regulations lag behind those for chickens and pigs in most countries, the welfare case for consumer pressure and voluntary standards is particularly strong in this sector.