Ducks and Geese Used for Food

Admired by parkgoers everywhere, ducks and geese are some of America’s best known and most beloved animals. Ducks and geese are comfortable in water, on land, and in the air. In their natural habitats, they fly hundreds of miles each year to migrate. Both ducks and geese fly and swim in formations that reduce air and water resistance for the birds in the rear. Ducks live in couples or groups, and pairs of geese partner for life, mourning for lengthy periods when their partners die.

While most people don’t think of ducks and geese when discussing cruelty to farmed animals, these birds are severely abused by the meat and foie gras industries.

Ducks and geese raised for their flesh spend their entire lives crammed in dirty, dark sheds, where they suffer from injury and disease and are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them. At the slaughterhouse, many birds survive the electric stunning process and are still conscious as their throats are cut and they are thrown into the scalding-hot water of the defeathering tanks.

Ducks and geese raised for foie gras have pipes or tubes shoved down their throats three times daily so that 4 pounds of grain can be pumped into their stomachs to produce the diseased “fatty liver” that some diners consider a delicacy. When their diseased livers swell to up to 10 times their normal size, the birds are sent to slaughter. There are no federal laws or regulations protecting ducks, geese, and other birds from cruelty at slaughter.

People around the world have spoken out against the cruelty of foie gras. You can take a stand, too, by choosing never to eat foie gras or any kind of meat. Order PETA’s free “Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit” for tips and recipes to help you make the transition to a cruelty-free diet.