A growing body of welfare science demonstrates that domestic ducks across production systems have unmet aquatic behavior needs, informing regulatory reform efforts.
Welfare science on ducks provides some of the clearest evidence of a gap between animal needs and commercial provision. The evidence is not contested - ducks need water for behavioral satisfaction and physical health. The gap is economic and regulatory: water provision increases housing costs and disease management complexity. Welfare scientists argue that the compelling evidence base justifies mandatory standards regardless of cost, and that production systems must adapt to animal needs rather than requiring animals to adapt to system constraints.