Ducks and Geese on Factory Farms

Ducks raised for their flesh or their livers are often kept in filthy, crowded sheds.

Ducks and geese are raised and killed by the millions on well-hidden factory farms in order to make expensive “delicacies” for wealthy diners. Foie gras, duck meat, and goose meat bring maximum profits to the industry and maximum cruelty to the tortured birds.

More than 24 million ducks are killed each year for their flesh.⁴ Animals who are meant to swim, play, and forage are deprived of all these natural behaviors when they are crammed by the thousands into dark sheds with only wire, dirt, and feces to stand on. They have only a trickle of water for drinking, which means that the ducks can’t clean themselves, and disease and filth spread quickly.

Because of the stressful conditions, many ducks and geese neurotically pull out their feathers. To prevent this, factory farm workers cut off the birds’ sensitive upper beaks—without painkillers. Many geese die from infection or starvation after this mutilation.

Factory-farmed ducks often die before they even reach the slaughterhouse.

Ducks and geese on factory farms are bred to be so heavy that their legs often become deformed and crippled. They can never migrate, mate naturally, build nests, or raise their young. In fact, many ducks and geese raised for food will never even see the sun or breathe fresh air until the day they are sent to slaughter.

When they have grown large enough, these ducks and geese are thrown into crates and transported on trucks for many miles through all weather extremes to the slaughterhouse. Those who survive this journey struggle and cry out as they are hung upside-down and as their throats are cut open. Some birds are still fully conscious when they are dunked into the scalding water of the defeathering tanks.

For more information on ducks used for their flesh, check out Viva! USA’s report “Ducks Out of Water.”

Read about ducks and geese used for foie gras.

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⁴ National Agricultural Statistics Service, “Poultry Slaughter: 2003 Annual Summary,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mar. 2004.