Turkeys

Last updated 30 November 2025

Turkeys are extremely affectionate birds, who form strong bonds with their families and flock mates. They are known to purr in a way similar to cats when they feel relaxed and have been observed being playful among their flock.

In the animal agriculture industry, turkeys are subject to horrific lives from breeding through to slaughter and each step in between.

Almost 5 million turkeys are slaughtered in Australia each year, and although they can naturally live up to 10 years, they are slaughtered for their flesh as young as 10 weeks old.

Artificial Insemination

Turkeys' lives are manipulated at every point from conception to slaughter. There are two main commercial breeds of turkey in Australia, the Nicholas White and the Hybrid.(64) The genetic material (of these breeds) is imported from the US and Canada and the eggs are then hatched under strict quarantine conditions.(65) The quarantine-born 'breeder turkeys' go on to produce more eggs.(66) Breeder t...

Breeding

As a result of being bred to grow to unnaturally large sizes, turkeys killed for commercial use in Australia cannot breed naturally. Artificial insemination is standard practice in the turkey farming industry.

Genetic Alterations

Factory-farmed turkeys have been genetically altered and bred to grow bigger and faster in order to meet the consumer demand for breast meat. Inducing such rapid body growth creates a number of health problems for these birds.(34) Both male and female factory-farmed turkeys are almost twice the size of their wild counterparts. For example, a female wild turkey (hen) typically weighs approximately ...

Hatchery

It is standard, legal practice in Australia to debeak and toe trim turkeys almost immediately after they are hatched.

Health issues

Selective breeding of turkeys to have an accelerated growth rate has been the cause of several health problems including leg locomotory problems causing lameness. Birds often become too weak to lift the weight of their bodies before they reach slaughter age. This ultimately leads to some turkeys starving to death as they are unable to reach food or water.

Health Problems of Breeders

Breeder turkeys are bred to weigh up to 30kg and have an average life span of a year(76). This 'increased' life span causes ongoing stress and strain on the breeder turkeys' grossly overweight bodies. In Australia there are turkey breeding facilities based around Bargo in New South Wales, Beresfield in New South Wales, McLaren Vale in South Australia and St. Arnaud in Victoria.(77) (See Figure 14)...

Housing

On turkey farms, birds live miserably in terrible conditions.

Lame and Injured Birds

Factory-farmed conditions cause many sick and lame birds to become ill and die as a result of starvation and various injuries. Factory-farmed turkeys will often experience physical injury such as bruising and scratching as a result of birds attempting to reach the feeders while other birds are seeking rest. Inspections by animal advocates have revealed birds with injuries and significant feather l...

Mortality Rate

There is an 'accepted' mortality rate in the turkey industry because a proportion of birds raised in factory farm conditions inevitably become ill. As stated previously, sick or lame birds are not profitable for business and will either be culled or die. Many birds die in factory-farmed conditions because they are never taught to reach the food and water by a parent turkey (newly hatched factory f...

Muscle Disorders

Factory-farmed turkeys gain so much weight during their short lives that their hearts often cannot support their huge bodies. The following table compares the weight and muscle mass of turkeys at 25 weeks:(47) Weight Breast Traditional turkey 5.3kg 0.52kg Modern turkey 19.22kg 3.04kg Turkeys gain so much weight in a short amount of time that the relative weight...

Skeletal Disorders

Due to factory-farmed turkeys' rapid growth rate and distorted muscle development, a variety of leg problems develop which produce lameness and pain. The increase of breast muscle on a turkey leads to a physiological weight imbalance that increases stress on bones and joints.(53) Due to the weight imbalance the leg position of the turkey changes. Skeletal problems such as antitrochanteric degenera...

Slaughter

Hens are commonly sent to slaughter at 10 weeks of age weighing around 5kg, their bodies primarily used for ‘whole bird’ market. Toms are typically sent to slaughter at approximately 17 weeks of age weighing between 16kg and 18kg, their bodies used mostly used for ‘breast yield’ and ‘meat portions’.

Turkeys: sentient and intelligent

Many people view farm animals, and in particular poultry, as 'objects' or 'machines' with no capacity to feel pain or emotions. People comfortably relate to a dog or a cat as being able to feel pain and emotions such as sadness, happiness, affection and grief, but it is a different story when it comes to the animals we eat. As Hatkoff explains, farm animals display sentience i.e. 'being aware of o...

Use of Antibiotics

Factory-farmed turkeys live in unnatural crowded conditions in which disease and infections are common.(29) Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. It has been reported that even 'healthy' turkeys are routinely given antibiotics in their feed throughout the 'production cycle' in order to reduce potential outbreaks of disease.(30) Poultry producers discovered in the 1940s that feeding ...

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