Ducks have compelling biological needs for water that are rarely met in commercial production, creating significant welfare harm on a large scale.
Duck welfare in commercial production is among the most neglected areas in farm animal welfare. Ducks have evolved over millions of years as waterfowl: their physical anatomy, preening behavior, thermoregulation, feeding behavior, and social activities are all adapted to an aquatic environment. Housing ducks in conditions that deny water access for bathing and dabbling causes measurable welfare harm: eye irritation and ocular discharge from inability to flush eyes with water, feather damage from inability to preen effectively, and behavioral frustration from inability to perform highly motivated water-related behaviors. The provision of adequate open water access - even simple troughs large enough for bill dipping and head immersion - dramatically improves duck welfare with modest additional cost.