Ducks are waterfowl with strong motivation to access water for bathing, preening, and feeding, but most commercially farmed ducks are denied meaningful water access, creating significant welfare deficits.
Water access for farmed ducks is a welfare issue that directly follows from their waterfowl biology. Ducks have evolved with water as a central feature of their environment, and their physical and behavioural needs reflect this. Denying them meaningful water access is not simply a behavioural deprivation - it prevents them from maintaining basic physical health through preening and eye and nostril cleaning. The welfare solution is straightforward: provide bathing water. The barrier is cost and management complexity. Consumer and certification pressure has driven some improvement in premium markets, but the majority of commercially farmed ducks globally live without meaningful water access.