The specific welfare challenges facing commercially farmed turkeys and evidence-based improvements to their production conditions.
Turkey welfare shares many characteristics with broiler welfare: extreme selection for production traits has created animals with significant health problems, and barren intensive environments prevent natural behaviors while driving abnormal ones. The key welfare interventions are analogous: slower-growing genetics, lower stocking densities, environmental enrichment, and outdoor access where possible. Beak trimming addresses a symptom of inadequate housing rather than the root cause and carries its own welfare costs. Consumer choices for heritage-breed turkeys or certified higher-welfare products create market incentives for improvement. The welfare case for turkey reform is strong given the scale of production and the documented welfare compromise in standard commercial systems.