Commercial turkeys are raised in overcrowded barns that prevent most natural behaviors and contribute to health problems, while also facing welfare challenges from their extreme selective breeding for rapid growth.
Commercial turkeys experience the same growth-related welfare problems as broiler chickens but amplified by their larger size. The extreme breast muscle development that makes commercial turkeys profitable prevents natural mating, makes walking difficult, and creates cardiovascular strain. Leg disorders caused by rapid growth mean many birds spend time recumbent, unable to access food and water normally. The density of commercial turkey production prevents natural behavioral repertoires. Like broiler chickens, these birds have been bred into a biological state that prioritizes human economic return over their own physical soundness. The inability to mate naturally represents a fundamental disruption of reproductive biology that itself indicates how extreme the selective breeding has become.