The slaughter of farmed turkeys involves significant welfare risks, and improvements in stunning and handling can substantially reduce suffering at end of life.
Turkey slaughter welfare is a critical area with significant room for improvement. The standard shackling and electrical stunning process causes significant suffering. Turkeys shackled upside down experience acute pain from dislocations and hip fractures — especially in heavy commercial breeds. Electrical water-bath stunning often fails to maintain unconsciousness until death, with some birds regaining consciousness before throat-cutting. Controlled atmosphere systems using inert gases can render birds unconscious without the pain of shackling while alive, but adoption has been slow due to costs. Improving slaughter welfare requires both industry reform and stronger regulatory standards for pre-slaughter handling.