Commercial turkeys have been selectively bred to grow so large they can barely walk and often cannot reproduce naturally. Welfare problems mirror those seen in fast-growing broiler chickens.
Commercial turkey breeding has created animals whose bodies cause suffering throughout their short lives. Extreme breast development impairs walking, causes chronic leg and joint pain, and makes natural reproduction impossible. Cardiovascular stress from rapid growth causes heart failure in a significant proportion of birds. The welfare parallels with broiler chickens are direct — the same market-driven breeding logic has produced the same welfare failures. Slower-growing heritage breeds avoid these problems entirely.