Commercially farmed turkeys suffer from severe welfare problems rooted in genetic selection for rapid breast muscle growth, including cardiovascular disease, joint disorders, inability to mate naturally, and chronic pain.
The welfare problems facing commercial turkeys are largely inherent to their genetics. Unlike broiler chickens where slower-growing alternatives exist and are increasingly available, the turkey industry has received less welfare scrutiny despite comparable or worse welfare outcomes for individual birds. The inability to mate naturally, the chronic pain of abnormal weight distribution, and the high rates of cardiovascular mortality all represent severe welfare deficits that affect the vast majority of the 300 million turkeys produced annually in the USA alone. Higher-welfare turkey production using slower-growing breeds, lower stocking densities, and environmental enrichment is available but represents a very small fraction of the market.