Turkey farming at commercial scale involves practices that cause significant welfare problems, particularly in breeds selected for maximum breast muscle growth at the expense of health and mobility.
Commercial turkey farming shares many of the same breed-driven welfare problems as broiler chickens, but at extreme scale. The extreme breast muscle development that makes a Christmas turkey commercially desirable fundamentally compromises the bird's ability to stand, walk, and live comfortably. Selecting breeds for shape rather than health is a root-cause welfare failure that husbandry improvements cannot fully compensate for. Slower-growing heritage breeds with better mobility and natural mating ability exist and are used in premium production, but the volume of Christmas turkey demand drives continued use of fast-growing breeds. Consumer choices toward slower-growing breeds or plant-based alternatives create meaningful market pressure.