Commercial turkey breeds have been selected for breast muscle mass to the point where natural mating is impossible and birds face chronic musculoskeletal problems. Welfare-oriented breed reform offers a path forward.
Commercial turkey breeds represent an extreme of what selective pressure for a single trait can do to welfare. The turkey that cannot stand comfortably, cannot mate naturally, and faces cardiovascular stress from its own growth rate is an animal whose physiology is working against its welfare at every level. This is not a management problem that better husbandry can solve — it is a breeding problem that only selective pressure in different directions can address. The consumer and corporate commitment model that has driven chicken breed reform offers a pathway for turkey welfare improvement that connects market demand to genetic decisions made in breeding programs.