Welfare reforms for farmed turkeys have historically focused on reducing suffering. A positive welfare approach asks a deeper question: how can turkeys express their natural behaviours, form social bonds, and experience genuine wellbeing even within commercial production systems?
Positive welfare for farmed turkeys means actively creating opportunities for pleasure, play, and species-typical behaviour. Structural enrichments such as perches, bales, and hanging objects encourage pecking, exploration, and social interaction. Outdoor access allows dust bathing, foraging, and exposure to natural light cycles, all of which reduce stress hormones and improve immune function. Slower-growing genetic lines, while less economically efficient, allow birds to reach slaughter weight with far fewer locomotion and health problems, enabling a better quality of life throughout their shortened lives. Research on turkey emotional states — using measures like eye-white ratios and behavioural indicators — is advancing understanding of what constitutes a good day for a turkey in commercial conditions.