Commercial turkeys have significant behavioural needs that are poorly met in intensive production, including foraging, social behaviour, and space for normal movement.
Commercial turkeys are among the most welfare-compromised farmed animals, with skeletal and cardiovascular disorders from extreme selection for growth. Heavy males struggle to stand and may die from cardiac failure before slaughter age. Barren housing without foraging substrate prevents fundamental behaviours. Social disruption through regrouping causes chronic aggression. Higher-welfare turkey production including slower-growing traditional breeds, access to outdoor runs or enriched indoor environments, and reduced stocking densities addresses multiple welfare deficits simultaneously.