Farmed turkeys are highly susceptible to heat stress due to their size and genetics, causing significant welfare problems in facilities without adequate climate control.
Heat-stressed turkeys experience profound discomfort and distress. As body temperature rises, they pant constantly in an effort to cool down - an exhausting and inefficient process in a bird with their physiology. Severe heat stress causes circulatory failure and death. Even non-lethal heat stress impairs immune function, making turkeys more vulnerable to disease, and suppresses feed intake creating additional welfare problems. The genetic selection that makes modern turkeys profitable has simultaneously made their lives more physically difficult.