Ducks

The lives of ducks in farming

When you eat duck at Christmas, have you ever considered what that duck’s life was really like? How are ducks actually raised, and do they have good animal welfare? Read on to get an inside look at the lives of ducks in farming.

Large flock sizes and too little space

In nature, ducks live in large flocks. They are highly social animals who communicate with each other through sounds and body language. They live harmoniously and rarely fight. In Denmark, around 39,000 ducks (2024) are slaughtered annually. In conventional farming, ducks live in flocks up to 10,100 individuals. They are raised for 8 or 14 weeks, slaughtered at a weight of about 3-4 kg. Free-range ducks live in groups of up to 4,000, while organic ducks—about 7% of total production and mostly exported—live in flocks of 3,600.

Feather plucking and cannibalism

So many ducks packed together naturally causes overcrowding—especially when you consider how much space ducks would have in the wild. Scientific studies show that large flock sizes and cramped conditions harm ducks and lead to welfare problems similar to those seen in broiler chickens, such as feather plucking and cannibalism. Cannibalism is believed to stem from multiple environmental deficiencies combined in the ducks’ environment causing this abnormal behavior. To try to stop cannibalism, lights are sometimes turned off in the sheds for several hours, which stops the cannibalism but destroys the ducks’ ability to perform natural behaviors.

Walking problems

Ducks raised for meat often suffer from leg problems. One study found about 21% of ducks examined had moderate to severe walking difficulties. Other research showed around 88% had footpad dermatitis caused by the amount of feces and ammonia in their flooring areas.

Stunning by electrified water and bleeding out

When ducks are slaughtered, they are hung upside down by their legs—putting stress on their bodies due to their heavy weight. They are transported through a conveyor system. To stun them, their heads are dipped into electrified water, delivering an electric shock meant to render them unconscious. Then the conveyor moves them to a machine that severs the carotid arteries, causing them to die by bleeding out. This stunning method is not fully effective; some ducks lift their heads and remain fully conscious when their throats are cut. This slaughter method is standard practice for conventional, organic, and free-range ducks alike.

Social and valuable animals

Ducks are social animals that form bonds within their flock. They love swimming and are naturally adapted to spend much time in water—a freedom they don’t have in conventional farming. They need to swim, eat, preen, play, and relax in water. Ducks are valuable and deserve to live free.