Ducks are waterfowl with strong behavioral drives to access water for bathing and feeding. Intensive duck farming that denies water access causes significant welfare deprivation.
Denying ducks access to bathing water is one of the clearest examples of housing systems that fundamentally conflict with species-specific behavioral needs. Ducks are waterfowl - their anatomy, behavior, and daily functional needs are organized around water use. Without open water, ducks cannot clean their eyes, clear their nostrils of feed material, or maintain feather condition and waterproofing. Research consistently shows that ducks given access to bathing water use it extensively and show reduced stress indicators. The argument against water provision in intensive systems is primarily economic and biosecurity-based - open water creates wet litter and disease transmission opportunities. These legitimate management challenges should be solved through better system design, not by depriving ducks of a fundamental behavioral need.