Turkey Poult Welfare in the First Week of Commercial Production

The first week of life is the highest-mortality period for commercial turkey poults, with welfare challenges from thermal management, feeding behaviour, and disease susceptibility requiring intensive stockmanship.

Key Facts

First-week mortality in commercial turkey poults can exceed 5% in poorly managed units
Poults have difficulty locating feed and water in the first 24-48 hours of life
Brooding temperature management is critical as poults are poorly thermoregulated at hatch
Starve-outs (failure to find feed) are a significant welfare and mortality cause
Early life nutritional stress has lasting impacts on growth and immune function

Welfare Considerations

Turkey poult welfare in the first week requires intensive stockmanship to ensure all birds successfully locate feed and water and maintain appropriate body temperature. Poults that fail to find feed in the first 48 hours become progressively weaker and are unable to compete for access, leading to starvation. Thermal mismanagement causes huddling, increased disease susceptibility, and mortality. Coloured feed, attractive water sources, and extra stockperson time in the first week significantly reduce starve-out rates and improve welfare outcomes for this vulnerable life stage.

What You Can Do

Ensure adequate stockperson time for intensive monitoring of poults in the first week of life
Use attractive feed and water presentations including coloured feed and shallow water fonts
Maintain appropriate brooding temperatures with adequate space for poults to thermoregulate
Remove dead birds promptly and investigate mortality patterns to identify management problems early
Implement stockperson training on recognising and responding to poult welfare problems in the first week