Best practice welfare standards for outdoor duck farming systems, covering range design, water provision, flock management, and the evidence base for improved welfare in extensive duck production.
When outdoor duck systems are well-designed and managed, they provide dramatically better welfare than any indoor alternative. The key elements are: meaningful water access enabling bathing behavior, adequate outdoor space with good range quality, appropriate flock density that prevents overcrowding even with outdoor access, shelter from weather extremes, predator protection, and indoor housing that meets welfare standards for the time ducks are inside. The evidence for welfare improvement in well-managed outdoor systems is strong — ducks in good outdoor environments are healthier, show less abnormal behavior, and use the full range available to them. Consumer awareness and purchasing choices for outdoor-certified duck products create the market incentive for producers to invest in these systems.