The first weeks of turkey poult life are critical for welfare, with mortality and welfare problems concentrated in early life due to thermoregulation, feeding, and social challenges.
Turkey poult welfare begins in the hatchery: long transport times between hatchery and farm, temperature fluctuations, and delayed first feed all compromise early welfare. Poults that cannot locate feed or water die of starvation within days despite being surrounded by food. The genetic selection for fast growth creates birds whose energy demands outpace their cardiovascular and skeletal development, creating welfare problems that compound throughout the growing period. Early life welfare directly determines the trajectory of welfare across the production cycle.