Providing outdoor access and water for swimming to farmed ducks addresses fundamental behavioral motivations and significantly improves welfare compared to indoor confinement systems.
Duck outdoor access welfare is inseparable from water access, as ducks evolved for aquatic environments and have behavioral systems requiring water beyond basic drinking. The provision of open water for immersion enables bathing behavior essential for feather maintenance and skin health, eye rinsing that prevents chronic ocular problems, and the expression of natural foraging behavior. Outdoor access combined with appropriate water provision creates a dramatically better welfare environment than indoor confinement. Industry standards for duck production have progressively incorporated outdoor access requirements in higher-welfare certification schemes, but the majority of commercially produced ducks globally still lack meaningful water access.