The Five Freedoms can be used to assess any practices in keeping animals, or birds. These are:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst: by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
- Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease: by prevention through rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Freedom to express normal behaviour: by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
- Freedom from fear and distress: by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Although it can be difficult to meet all five, with many farming systems, giving freedom to express normal behaviour is one that's reasonably easy to meet by providing ducks with duck company