Examining the significant and often overlooked welfare challenges facing turkeys in commercial production, from breed-related health problems to housing conditions and slaughter practices.
Turkey welfare receives far less public attention than chicken welfare despite involving comparable welfare challenges and hundreds of millions of individuals annually. The extreme growth rates of commercial turkeys create systemic welfare problems — skeletal disorders, cardiovascular strain, and reduced activity — that are inherent in the breeding program rather than addressable through management changes alone. The inability to reproduce naturally represents a profound departure from natural function that raises fundamental welfare questions about the appropriateness of breeds that cannot survive without continuous human intervention. Welfare improvement requires both breed-level change toward slower-growing genetics and management improvements including enrichment, appropriate space, and pain relief for necessary procedures.