Commercial turkeys face severe welfare problems from selective breeding for rapid growth. Understanding these challenges helps consumers and advocates push for reform.
Commercial turkey welfare problems arise from the same selective breeding approach that created the broiler welfare crisis: breeding for maximum muscle mass at minimum time creates animals whose biology has been compromised. Turkeys selected for enormous breast muscles cannot reproduce naturally, can barely walk, and experience chronic leg pain from skeletal structures inadequate to their muscle mass. Wild turkeys are vigorous, agile birds that fly, forage across large areas, and engage in complex social behavior. Commercial turkeys cannot express any of these behaviors. The pre-slaughter phase adds acute welfare costs: turkeys are typically caught in darkness by teams of catchers who grab birds by their legs, carry them inverted, and load them into transport crates — a process causing significant stress and injury. Reform efforts parallel those for broiler chickens but have received less attention.