Ducks are aquatic birds with strong behavioural needs for water immersion, yet most commercially farmed ducks are reared without meaningful water access.
Ducks are profoundly motivated to access open water — it is not a luxury but a welfare necessity. Without it, they cannot clean their bills and nostrils effectively, cannot maintain feather condition through preening, and cannot engage in normal social and comfort behaviours. Research shows that ducks given water access prioritise using it even when food is simultaneously available. Commercial duck farming that denies this access accepts a chronic welfare deficit as an economic trade-off. Higher welfare duck certification schemes that mandate open water access represent a meaningful improvement for the millions of ducks farmed annually.