Commercial turkey production involves selective breeding for rapid breast muscle growth that creates severe welfare problems including cardiovascular disease, leg disorders, and inability to mate naturally.
Commercial turkeys suffer from bodies that have been selectively bred beyond physiological sustainability. Heart failure at young ages, painful leg conditions, and inability to express natural mating behaviour reflect a fundamental welfare compromise built into the genetics of production animals. Breast blisters and footpad lesions from high-density housing on poor litter are widespread but avoidable. Slower-growing genetic lines with appropriate housing and outdoor access eliminate most of these welfare problems but require consumer willingness to pay higher prices.