Ducks Out of Water

A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation at one of the largest duck factory farms in the country has exposed rampant abuse and neglect of these gentle birds.

An MFA investigator working at Reichardt Duck Farm in California documented:

• Baby ducklings having the tips of their beaks burned with red-hot metal
• Ducks suffering from illness and injuries without proper veterinary care
• Birds trapped in or under the wire cage flooring left to slowly suffer and die
• Ducks having their throats cut while still conscious and able to feel pain

Following the undercover investigation, MFA immediately alerted law enforcement authorities to violations of California’s anti-cruelty laws and presented them with a detailed legal complaint and meticulously compiled evidence of the violations. The evidence demonstrated an ongoing pattern of cruelty, neglect, and needless suffering.

Perhaps the worst abuse factory-farmed ducks are forced to endure is life without access to water for swimming or bathing. As waterfowl, ducks evolved to spend most of their time in ponds or lakes. In fact, ducks require pools of water to maintain proper health and to regulate their body temperatures.

At Riechardt Duck Farm and most duck factory farms, these semi-aquatic animals are forced to spend their entire lives on barren, wire mesh flooring. Since their fragile legs were not meant for standing or walking for extended periods of time, let alone their entire lives, many factory-farmed ducks develop crippling leg deformities and injuries, such as “bumble foot,” a painful inflammatory infection of the bottoms of their feet.

Without access to water, ducks become stressed and start to exhibit abnormal behaviors, such as head shaking and excessive feather preening. Unable to properly clean themselves, factory-farmed ducks often develop infections and painful eye diseases that can lead to blindness. Sadly, the first and only pool of water factory-farmed ducks will see is the electrified bath as they are hanging upside down about to have their throats cut open at the slaughterhouse.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. And you can help change it. As MFA continues to expose the unconscionable cruelties inherent in factory farming, and to diligently pursue justice by aiding prosecutions of animal abusers, consumers still hold the greatest power of all to end the needless suffering and death of farmed animals by adopting a compassionate vegan diet.