The scientific evidence for water access needs in farmed ducks and how emerging standards are addressing this fundamental welfare gap.
Water access for farmed ducks remains one of the clearest cases where a basic welfare need — rooted in the species biology — is routinely denied for production convenience. The evidence is unambiguous: ducks need open water for behavioral expression, physical health, and basic comfort. Systems denying open water cause physical welfare harms (eye infections, bill problems) alongside behavioral frustration from denied waterbird behavior. The commercial challenges of wet litter management are real but not insurmountable, as demonstrated by producers operating successfully with open water provision under welfare certifications. Consumer demand channeled through certification purchasing creates the market incentive for producers to invest in the management systems that make water provision feasible at commercial scale. Regulatory requirements for minimum water standards represent the most impactful policy intervention available.