Practical improvements in turkey welfare across the production cycle — from hatchery to slaughter — can significantly reduce suffering for the 600 million turkeys raised annually.
Turkey welfare improvement requires addressing the fundamental problem of selective breeding for extreme growth alongside management practices that compound the harm of that breeding. Slower-growing breeds represent the most significant single intervention — turkeys that can walk without pain, engage in natural behaviors, and live without chronic musculoskeletal compromise have dramatically better welfare by every measure. This choice is available to consumers and to food companies through their sourcing decisions. Beyond breed, meaningful improvements in enrichment, space allowance, and slaughter method can reduce suffering across all systems. The scale of turkey production means that marginal welfare improvements per bird translate to enormous reductions in total suffering.