Turkey Farming: How Intensive Breeding Is Transforming the Industry
A Meat and Dairy Industries Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Caroline Christen, SentientMedia.org
November 2020

Hens are considered ready for slaughter at 14 to 16 weeks old, and male turkeys at around 19 weeks old. Some intensively farmed turkeys are slaughtered as young as 12 weeks old.

Photo by Andrew Skowron

For most Americans, Thanksgiving would not feel complete without a roast turkey on the dinner table. Legend has it that turkey was served at the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony in 1621, and the Thanksgiving tradition of presenting turkeys to the U.S. president dates back to 1947. Eating turkey is considered an American tradition, but how turkeys become food is much less glamorous.

Turkeys available at supermarkets today are the result of intensive farming. Selective breeding and commercial farming techniques have altered the appearance and damaged the general quality of life for turkeys. Commercial turkeys have little in common with the wild turkeys of 1621 or even the domesticated turkeys of 1947. Today, millions of turkeys around the globe are bred, killed, and eaten every year.

 

Please read THE ENTIRE ARTILCE HERE (PDF) to learn more:

• What Is Turkey Farming?
• How Are Turkeys Farmed?
• How Long Does It Take to Grow Turkeys?
• What Do Turkeys Eat on a Farm?
• Why Is Turkey Farming Bad?
• Monstrous Breeding
• Painful Husbandry Procedures
• Enclosed Sheds
• Intensive Indoor Systems
• Catching and Transport
• Confined and Killed in Vast Numbers
• Turkey Farming Statistics
• How Many Turkeys Are Killed for Thanksgiving? 

---

Return to Turkeys - Articles, Stories, Poetry, Videos