Commercial turkey production involves severe welfare compromises driven by extreme genetic selection for rapid growth.
Commercial turkey welfare is dominated by a single overriding problem: extreme genetic selection for growth rate that has created animals physiologically unable to live healthy lives at normal market weight. The musculoskeletal system cannot support the artificially selected body mass, resulting in near-universal chronic pain and mobility impairment. This is not an unavoidable consequence of turkey farming but a specific product of breeding decisions made for economic reasons. Heritage and slower-growing breeds demonstrate that turkeys are capable of active, mobile lives when not subjected to extreme growth selection. Consumer demand for fast, cheap turkey makes the economics of welfare reform challenging but not impossible.