Turkeys raised intensively face significant welfare challenges from overcrowding, respiratory disease, and breeding-related health problems.
Intensive turkey production creates a complex of welfare problems. High stocking densities lead to competition, stress, and feather pecking. The extreme breast muscle hypertrophy that makes turkeys commercially valuable also causes skeletal problems and difficulty walking. Respiratory disease spreads rapidly in crowded conditions. Turkeys subjected to constant artificial light have disrupted circadian rhythms. Transportation to slaughter in cold weather without adequate protection causes suffering.