Commercial turkeys have been selectively bred for rapid, extreme breast muscle growth that causes severe skeletal, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. Welfare improvements require adoption of slower-growing breeds and reductions in stocking density.
Fast-growing turkeys experience chronic pain from leg disorders that impairs walking, access to feed and water, and normal social behaviour. Cardiovascular stress causes sudden death episodes that, while brief, represent an acute welfare event for affected individuals and indicate chronic physiological strain across the whole flock. Welfare-centred turkey production uses slower-growing breeds capable of natural mating, maintains stocking density below 40 kg per square metre, provides environmental enrichment including perches and pecking materials, and monitors footpad dermatitis and leg health as routine outcome measures.