Ducks

Ducks’ Lives in Farming

When you eat duck at Christmas dinner, have you ever considered the life of that duck? How are ducks actually raised, and do they have good animal rights? Read on for an inside look at ducks’ lives on farms.

Huge Flock Sizes and Too Little Space

In the wild, ducks live in large flocks. They are highly social animals, communicating through sounds and body language. They coexist harmoniously and rarely fight. In Denmark, about 39,000 ducks (2024) are slaughtered yearly. In conventional farming, ducks live in flocks of up to 10,100 individuals. They are raised for 8 or 14 weeks and slaughtered at about 3–4 kg. Free-range ducks live in flocks up to 4,000, and organic ducks—which make up about 7% of total production, mostly exported—live in flocks of 3,600.

Feather Pecking and Cannibalism

So many animals packed together naturally causes overcrowding—especially when compared to the space ducks have in the wild. Scientific studies show that large flock sizes and cramped spaces harm ducks and lead to welfare issues familiar from broiler chicken farming, such as feather pecking and cannibalism. Cannibalism is believed to result from multiple environmental deficiencies combined in ducks’ surroundings, causing abnormal behavior. To stop cannibalism, lights in barns are sometimes turned off for hours, which halts it but destroys ducks’ ability to express natural behaviors.

Walking Problems

Slaughterhouse ducks often suffer leg problems. One study showed about 21% of ducks examined had moderate to severe walking difficulties. Other studies found around 88% of ducks had footpad lesions caused by the buildup of manure and ammonia on floor areas.

Stunning in Electrified Water and Bleeding Out

At slaughter, ducks are hung alive by their legs, which strains their bodies due to their heavy weight. They move along a conveyor system and are stunned by being passed over a tank of electrified water. Their heads are submerged to deliver an electric shock intended to render them unconscious. Then, they go to a machine that severs their carotid arteries, killing them by bleeding out. This stunning method often fails, as some ducks raise their heads and remain conscious when their necks are cut. This slaughter method is standard for conventional, organic, and free-range ducks alike.

Social and Valuable Animals

Ducks are social animals that form bonds within their flock. They love to swim and are built to spend much time in water, which conventional farming denies them. Ducks use water to eat, swim, preen their feathers, play, and rest. Ducks are valuable and deserve to live free.