Water access for bathing and preening is a fundamental welfare need for farmed ducks denied in many commercial systems, with enrichment research demonstrating strong motivation for open water.
Duck water access is among the most clearly documented and most commonly denied fundamental welfare needs in farmed animal production. The evidence is unambiguous: ducks deprived of open water for bathing cannot maintain feather condition, cannot properly clean eyes and nostrils, and show stress responses indicating the deprivation matters deeply to them. The preference testing shows that if given a choice, ducks choose open water access over other resources — a behavioral indicator of motivational priority that welfare science treats as evidence of genuine need rather than mere preference. Commercial systems that deny open water accept a documented welfare compromise as a production efficiency decision.