Turkeys raised for meat face serious welfare challenges including fast growth rates, painful health conditions, and inability to mate naturally due to selective breeding.
Commercial turkeys share the welfare problems of broiler chickens but often in more extreme form. Their oversized breast muscles affect posture, gait, and ability to access food and water. Chronic leg pain from their body weight is common. The inability to mate naturally — a direct result of selective breeding — is itself an indicator of how far these birds have deviated from functional health. Higher-welfare turkey production exists but represents a small fraction of the market.