Ducks are aquatic birds with strong behavioral needs for water, yet most farmed ducks have no access to open water. This fundamental welfare gap affects millions of birds globally.
The motivation of ducks to access water for bathing and swimming is among the strongest documented behavioral motivators in farm animals. Studies using preference testing show ducks will work intensively to access open water and show significant deprivation responses when it is unavailable. Yet billions of farmed ducks worldwide live their entire lives with no access to bathing water, unable to perform behaviors fundamental to their species. This is not a case of scientific uncertainty about the welfare impact - the evidence is clear. The gap between what ducks need and what intensive farming provides is one of the most straightforward welfare failures in global agriculture, requiring relatively modest infrastructure changes to address meaningfully.