Commercial turkeys have been selectively bred for rapid growth and large breast muscle, causing welfare problems that parallel those in broiler chickens. Hundreds of millions of turkeys are raised annually under intensive conditions.
Turkey welfare suffers from the same fundamental problem as broiler chickens: selective breeding for extreme growth rate has created animals whose genetics outpace their physiology. The welfare consequences — chronic musculoskeletal pain, cardiovascular stress, and inability to perform natural behaviour — are built into the production system at the genetic level. The intelligent, curious animals that turkeys naturally are cannot express their behavioural repertoire in barren, crowded sheds. Reform pathways include breed selection prioritising welfare alongside productivity, mandatory environmental enrichment, space allowances that permit natural locomotion, and slaughter methods that minimise pre-slaughter stress. Consumer purchasing choices that preferentially support higher-welfare turkey products create the market signal needed to drive change.