Commercial turkeys have been selectively bred for rapid breast muscle growth to such extremes that they can no longer mate naturally and face many of the same welfare problems as broiler chickens.
The extreme selective breeding of commercial turkeys has created welfare problems structurally similar to those in broiler chickens — bodies that grow faster than physiology can sustain, causing chronic pain and metabolic disease. The loss of natural mating ability represents a fundamental biological dysfunction imposed for economic convenience. Slower-growing heritage breeds demonstrate that commercial turkey production can be conducted without these welfare compromises.