Commercial turkeys have been intensively selected for breast meat yield, leading to welfare problems including mobility impairment, heart failure and difficulty mating naturally.
The welfare costs of selective breeding in turkeys parallel those seen in broiler chickens. Heavy body conformation impairs mobility, normal behaviour and reproduction. Birds spend more time resting, are unable to forage or display naturally and experience chronic musculoskeletal stress. Breed reform and slower growth targets are the most fundamental welfare interventions.