Commercial duck farming raises specific welfare concerns around water access, housing, and the production of foie gras — with significant variation in standards across different production systems.
Ducks are uniquely poorly served by conventional poultry welfare standards designed primarily for chickens. Their semi-aquatic nature means that the denial of bathing water — standard in most commercial duck housing — prevents a fundamental behavioral need. This is not a minor omission: ducks without water access show elevated eye infections, impaired feather maintenance, and behavioral frustration signs. Foie gras production represents the most severe end of the duck welfare spectrum, involving force-feeding that causes measurable physiological distress. The welfare improvement pathway requires species-specific standards that recognize duck behavioral ecology rather than defaulting to chicken-centric frameworks.