Commercial turkey production involves welfare challenges at every stage of life from hatchery through slaughter, affecting the 250 million turkeys raised annually in the United States.
Commercial turkey welfare suffers from the same structural problems as broiler chicken welfare, amplified by the turkey's larger size and heavier breast muscle development. From the hatchery, where day-old poults are processed in noisy, crowded conditions, through weeks of confinement in overcrowded barns, to slaughter, turkeys experience chronic stress and behavioral deprivation at every life stage. The extreme breast muscle development of commercial turkeys creates cardiovascular strain and movement difficulties that affect their quality of life from the first weeks. Heat stress in poorly ventilated or improperly managed barns causes suffering and mortality spikes. The concentration of turkey slaughter in the weeks before Thanksgiving creates seasonal welfare pressure in both production and slaughter facilities.