Commercial turkey farming often restricts natural behaviors. Evidence-based enrichment and housing improvements significantly improve turkey welfare.
The turkey farming industry faces profound welfare challenges stemming from selective breeding for growth and intensive housing conditions. Turkeys are cognitively complex, social birds capable of individual recognition and experiencing fear and frustration. Leg problems are widespread in fast-growing commercial breeds, with lameness causing chronic pain and preventing normal foraging behavior. Enriched environments with perches, pecking substrates, and objects to manipulate reduce redirected aggression and promote positive behavioral states. Outdoor access, where biosecurity allows, provides a range of stimuli and promotes natural foraging. Slaughter welfare remains a concern, with stunning methods varying in reliability across facilities. Consumer and retailer pressure has driven some improvements in higher-welfare production systems.