Ducks are water birds farmed in systems that often deny them access to water for bathing and swimming, causing significant behavioral frustration.
Denying water birds access to water represents a fundamental mismatch between species needs and commercial housing systems. Ducks kept without bathing water show higher rates of eye infections, feather damage, and behavioral abnormalities. The need for water immersion is so strong that ducks will preferentially access open water even when it means getting cold in winter. The foie gras industry compounds these issues with forced feeding that enlarges the liver to a pathological degree.