On a factory farm, a turkey spends its entire life confined to a space averaging just 2.5 cubic feet — about the size of a mini fridge.

Every year, 245 million turkeys are slaughtered nationwide, with over 46 million killed each year for Thanksgiving alone, according to Kent Stein, a public and corporate policy specialist in the Humane Society of the United States’ Farm Animal Protection Department.

As Kent explains, despite poultry making up 95% of livestock slaughtered in the U.S., turkeys and chickens are exempt from federal laws that enforce humane slaughter standards for other livestock. 

When it comes to the ethical issues surrounding commercially raising poultry, the question isn’t just which came first — the egg or the chicken — it’s how early the problems are introduced to the system. From hatcheries to slaughterhouses, each step of the production process is fraught with serious welfare concerns.

Hatching harm: the troubling early life of turkeys

Most turkey eggs aren’t hatched on the farms where they are raised. Instead, they are incubated separately in large, commercial, refrigerator-like incubation spaces where temperature and humidity are managed to ensure that the eggs will hatch at the same time. 

However, according to Dr. Hillary Dalton, PhD, a senior research manager at Compassion in World Farming — a nonprofit specializing in animal welfare and behavior science — newly hatched chicks often lack immediate access to food or water.

“Afterwards, they’re transported to a farm, so they might go two or three days without food or water access. They can still draw nutrients from their yolk sac, but this delay can often lead to a lot of mortality,” Dalton said.

On commercial poultry farms, especially in the U.S., beak-trimming is a common practice for birds housed in densely populated environments. This procedure — carried out on day-old chicks or very young birds — removes the first third of their beak using a hot laser without anesthesia.

Historically done with a hot blade or sharp pruning shears, this procedure intends to prevent injurious behaviors like feather pecking and aggressive pecking, which are caused by the severe overcrowding and lack of stimulation on commercial farms.

Nevertheless, this practice contributes to the overall stress experienced by chicks early in life.

“There are nerve endings in their beaks, so the process can cause pain and affect their ability to interact with the environment through foraging,” Dalton said.

A welfare report compiled by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) notes that, in addition to beak trimming, commercial poultry processing commonly involves controversial practices. One such practice is de-snooding, where the protuberance over the bird’s beak is sliced off, and toe-clipping, in which surgical shears are used to remove the ends of a bird’s toes to eliminate the toenails and prevent scratching or carcass degradation. 

Despite being intended as protective measures, these practices exacerbate the suffering of chicks, leading to higher early mortality and reduced growth rates.

Once they arrive at the farms, turkey chicks, in particular, remain vulnerable and require constant attention — a need that goes unmet at times.

“Turkeys, too, are so breast-heavy that even at a young age, someone has to watch the baby birds in the barn,” Dalton said. “If they flip over, they can’t right themselves and will die. They are so unbalanced that it puts them at risk of dehydration and death.”

Cramped and crammed: confinement on factory farms

In the U.S., the majority of turkeys raised for consumption spend their lives in cramped living conditions, typically housed indoors in large, windowless brooding and growing facilities with artificial lighting. These facilities offer little stimulation for the birds, providing only litter flooring and an automated feed and water system.

According to the HSUS report, up to 10,000 birds may be confined in a single house, with a stocking density of 2.5 square feet per hen or four square feet per tom (male turkey). 

This extreme overcrowding and insufficient enrichment causes numerous welfare issues, including the complete prevention of natural behaviors.

“In the wild, they enjoy bathing themselves in dust and can remain with their families for up to five months at a time. They form tight-knit social units and spend their days foraging, using their beaks to search for insects and acorns. But on a factory farm, as opposed to living up to 12 years in the wild, turkeys live for about just over 130 days,” Stein said.

Furthermore, according to Dalton, overcrowding leads to increased aggression among male turkeys, resulting in injurious pecking and the creation of dominance hierarchies. At times, they may also target and gang up on specific birds.

Turkeys face countless health challenges due to overstocking. As they approach market weight, life on commercial farms becomes increasingly difficult, with diminishing amounts of floor space available as they grow larger.

“Because the turkeys are so overstocked, they can’t move around as well as they grow. As their bones develop, the lack of weight-bearing activity prevents their bones from becoming strong enough to carry their weight later on in life as well. This becomes especially problematic as they grow older,” Dalton said.

Weakened leg health often makes it harder for the birds to access necessities like food and water. Moreover, high stocking densities lead to poor litter quality, which exacerbates leg issues by making walking difficult and causing conditions like hip and foot-pad dermatitis.

In addition to these health challenges, the overcrowded conditions and lack of space allow factory farms, which are often managed by large corporations, to maximize the number of birds raised and slaughtered. According to Stein, this prioritization of production also results in inhumane handling practices.

“They are often caged to the point where they don’t even have space to spread their wings. The confinement allows these giant factory farms to just cram in and raise and kill as many birds as possible. You also have the inhumane handling of these birds, with workers roughly picking up birds by the wings or legs, which are already brittle considering their poor diets and stress.” Stein said.

Engineering suffering: the impact of breeding practices

One of the biggest ethical issues in commercially raising turkeys for consumption is their poor health, caused primarily by genetic management. These practices, including their diet and the emphasis on accelerated growth, lead to numerous muscular, skeletal, and other health problems.

“They’re creating these conditions through selective breeding, forcing turkeys to grow as unnaturally large as quickly as possible. As a result, they’re too big to reproduce normally and suffer from weak bones,” Stein said.

As Dalton further explains, in addition to being confined to cramped living environments, due to being genetically bred for rapid growth, the birds are unable to exhibit their natural behaviors. As they grow heavier toward the end of their lives, many suffer from poor leg health, which limits their mobility and impacts their ability to access food and water.

“My understanding is that meat turkeys and chickens have been bred for human consumption, resulting in extreme and unhealthy weight gain for the chicken. I’ve heard that some chickens have a hard time standing up because of how heavy they are. Some chickens are also kept in extremely claustrophobic and unsanitary conditions,” said Kevin Li, a junior at Carlmont High School.

Skeletal issues are often an overlooked consequence of breeding turkeys, as they are kept alive longer than those raised for consumption.

The HSUS report indicates that, by the end of their breeding cycle, at least 75% of parent stock experience abnormal gaits or lameness. Male breeding turkeys, in particular, are prone to degenerative hip lesions.

A study conducted by researchers at the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research at the University of Edinburgh found that all breeding toms examined suffered from extensive hip joint disorders, strongly suggesting that these turkeys experience chronic pain. This pain severely restricts their mobility, adding to the cruelty they face in their already harsh lives.

In an effort to maximize profits, farmers intentionally limit the food intake of breeding birds, cutting their rations to just half of what they would normally consume in order to prevent health and reproductive issues and boost fertility. This deprivation results in chronic hunger, as revealed by a research study on broiler chickens, showing the unpleasant impact of these conditions on their wellbeing. 

The cruelty doesn’t end there.

Induced molting, a practice designed solely to benefit the poultry industry, offers no health advantages for hens but only serves to boost egg production. Hens that have stopped laying may be subjected to this process that involves keeping them in complete darkness and depriving them of all food and water for 72 hours. This practice triggers an additional egg-laying cycle in the hens at the expense of their physical wellbeing.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), these methods have historically led to severe stress or physical injury in the birds, including immune system suppression. This compromised health increases the risk of disease in both the hens and their eggs.

From farm to slaughterhouse: the toll of transportation

After spending their lives confined and enduring numerous welfare issues, turkeys face yet another stressful period during transportation to slaughterhouses.

The issue of overcrowding extends from the farm to the transport trucks, creating more strain on the birds. According to Dalton, being caught and confined in cramped crates adds to their distress, and the limited space can also lead to injuries, such as wings becoming caught.

Due to the rough handling, where birds are typically grabbed by their legs and crammed into crates, they often sustain injuries during loading. After processing, their carcasses are frequently trimmed to remove bruises and fractures inflicted during transportation or even on the farm.

According to the HSUS, common injuries during loading and transport include bruising, dislocated hips, internal hemorrhages, wing fractures, head trauma, amputated toes, leg fractures, and ruptured tendons in the hock.

Furthermore, there is a disturbing lack of oversight regarding their condition during the journey to the slaughterhouse.

“During transportation, these birds are subject to all weather extremes, ranging from freezing cold temperatures inside of trucks or intense heat. Sometimes, turkeys are left baking inside the trucks with no animal transportation laws protecting them, receiving minimal rest and no exposure to conditions that could alleviate their suffering,” Stein said.

Then, the real hell begins.

End of the road: the cruel reality of slaughter

Upon arrival at the slaughterhouse, turkeys are unloaded from transport crates, flipped upside down, and hung by metal shackles.

Because turkeys and other birds are exempt from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which mandates that animals be rendered insensible before shackling and slaughter, they endure a significantly stressful and painful process.

“When turkeys are slaughtered, they are usually flipped upside down. Given how they are genetically selected for heavy breast tissue, all that weight presses down on their hearts and lungs, making it difficult for them to breathe and causing severe cardiovascular distress. They’re also hanging by their weak legs, which aren’t very strong at the end of their life,” Dalton said.

Before their necks are slit, the hung birds are submerged in an electrified water bath, intended to render them unconscious and immobile. However, this inhumane practice contributes to significant issues, as turkeys can experience electric shocks before being properly stunned. Since their wings hang lower than their heads, they may come into contact with the electrified water before their heads are fully submerged, leading to painful, unnecessary suffering.

“The body conformation turkeys often means that their wing picks touch the electrified water before their heads, which causes them electric burns. There are issues with electrical water baths, in the sense that the strength of the electrical current can really change based on the number of turkeys in the bath,” Dalton said. “While the electric current intends to stun the turkey and make them unconscious, it sometimes can cause quality issues, such as blood spots in the meat.

Due to fluctuations in the electrical current or errors in the process, not all turkeys are adequately stunned before slaughter. As a result, some birds remain conscious while their throats are slit, subject to unimaginable pain and terror in their final moments.

According to a report by A Greener World — a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable farming practices — a large cut across a bird’s neck severs vital tissues, including arteries, veins, and major and minor nerves, causing intense pain and distress if the bird is still conscious. Despite the sharpness of the knife, the injury causes significant suffering until the bird loses enough blood to become unconscious.

Even after their throats have been cut to drain blood, turkeys can remain conscious when they enter the scalding vat, where their feathers are loosened for plucking.

“Cadavers” is a classification for poultry that die from causes other than slaughter or remain physiologically alive due to ineffective slaughter before entering the scalding vat, causing them to drown in the water heated to over 130 Fahrenheit.

In 2007, over 33,000 turkeys were classified as “cadavers” in the annual report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), with nearly 50,000 turkeys given the same classification in 2006.

“I find the method of slaughter for chicken to be somewhat concerning, since they are usually scalded and have their feathers plucked, which sometimes fails to result in a quick death,” Li said.

Reimagining Thanksgiving: rethinking traditions and farming practices

However, turkeys don’t have to suffer this fate. On family-owned farms, there is often a stronger emphasis placed on animal welfare. These smaller operations focus on the health and wellbeing of their birds.

One example of such practices is Diestel Family Ranch, a fourth-generation, family-managed operation.

“At Diestel, we prioritize values over volume and quality over quantity. Most commodity farms have different priorities and look to optimize production for more efficient production methods,” said Heidi Diestel, a fourth-generation farmer at Diestel Family Ranch.

In contrast to solely indoor commercial farms, the ranch provides its birds with the freedom to roam both indoors and outdoors. They maintain clean living areas by using fresh pine wood shavings and natural, organic cleaners to avoid the use of harsh chemicals.

Smaller farms also strive to treat their animals with respect, tending to them as carefully as possible.

“We transport our birds for processing and handle them with tremendous respect. Typically, we work with the birds very early in the mornings when everything is calm and cool to support the birds while in transport,” Diestel said.

Aside from addressing issues in farm practices, consumers can also make a difference by choosing to buy higher-quality birds to directly support ethical, sustainable farming practices.

According to Dalton, it’s always beneficial to discover local farmers who raise their animals with greater care, particularly at farmers’ markets. Alternatively, being mindful when selecting turkeys at the supermarket and carefully reading the packaging is also important.

“USDA organic rules have recently been refined to ensure the amount of outdoor space that the animals have is more reflective of good practices. Look for pasture-raised products and buy local when you can. Also, look for meaningful third party certifications; Certified Humane is one that’s quite common,” Dalton said.

However, Dalton cautions against terms like “humanely raised,” as there is no true definition. Often, this label refers to conventional meat production, which is often unethical, making it necessary to research the standards behind such claims when choosing a bird.

For some, the quality of the bird is a key factor in their purchase decision because they care about what they eat and what goes into their bodies.

“I most likely look for a good size for my Thanksgiving dinner and good quality. I prefer turkey raised without antibiotics, free from additional hormones, and non-GMO. I also look for preservative-free packaging. If possible, organic is a nice option,” said Naomi Kodo, a Carlmont parent who prepares a turkey every year for Thanksgiving.

While organic, free-range turkeys offer a more ethical alternative to traditional meals, their high cost — upwards of $90 in recent years — limits their popularity. According to Deistel, while organic products are gaining traction, organic poultry, meat, and seafood account for less than 3% of all meat, poultry, and seafood sales in the U.S.

Higher-priced options like free-ranged meat create a complicated socioeconomic challenge, as consumers may struggle to balance making ethical choices with affordability.

“At the end of the day, people have to eat. Sometimes, ethical alternatives are far too expensive to buy consistently. When I do consider ethical alternatives, I find that it is very important to research ethically raised livestock carefully since some labels, like free-range, are misleading,” Li said. “On the other hand, most products in the stores around our area already have some degree of ethical regulations, so most of the time, I don’t feel the need to pick a product specifically because it is ethically produced.”

Others, whether for personal preference or due to concerns about the ethical implications of consuming turkeys, opt for alternative options while still celebrating the holiday.

“One alternative would be a plant-based diet, choosing more humane and compassionate options for Thanksgiving. There are a number of delicious and healthy plant-based options that anyone could choose instead. If you go to any grocery store, not just Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but even Safeway or Walmart, you’ll find a variety of Tofurky holiday roasts, Field Roast, and Gardein, which all offer tasty Thanksgiving alternatives,” Stein said.

Seonkyoung Longest, a chef and food blogger known for sharing traditional and fusion Asian recipes, has experimented with a plant-based diet several times in her life. Most recently, in 2020, she adopted a 50% plant-based diet for a year and a half.

Though she has since switched back to eating meat, stepping away from a plant-based lifestyle due to her desire to live a more flexible and adaptable life, she still considers ethical considerations to be crucial when it comes to food choices, especially when consuming animal products.

“To me, turkeys, chickens, pigs, and cows are all the same — they are precious living beings, and their lives are equally valuable. I believe ethical considerations are crucial when it comes to food choices, especially when consuming animal products,” Longest said. “I try to consider how sustainable the production process is, whether the animals lived the kind of life they deserved, and whether they were loved and cared for during their time on Earth.”

For many, the idea of changing a long-held culinary practice can be daunting, especially with Thanksgiving being so deeply tied to food and tradition. As Longest explains, transitioning to a plant-based diet meant not just finding alternatives but completely redefining what holidays like Thanksgiving looked like.

“It wasn’t just about the act of cooking; it was about recreating the warm, family-centered traditions I had grown up with. I had to craft new traditions for myself and my family while reinventing old family recipes,” Longest said. “During the first year, I didn’t fully realize how emotionally and mentally taxing this would be, and it was a tough adjustment.”

However, according to Longest, making small choices, such as preparing a plant-based main dish for Thanksgiving, can create meaningful change over time.

“While I no longer roast turkey, I’ve made a plant-based meatloaf before, and for our first plant-based Thanksgiving three years ago, I didn’t know what else to do, so I roasted a frozen plant-based stuffed turkey. Another year, I went completely off-script and baked a plant-based lasagna instead — it was absolutely delicious and just as festive for our small family of two as a turkey would have been,” Longest said.

Even just comprehending the extent to which poultry suffer under the commercial farming system can deepen appreciation for the food consumed. Whether it’s choosing a locally grown turkey, a tofu-based main platter, or a different, affordable yet sustainably raised kind of meat for the holiday altogether, being mindful of the origins of food can create a more thoughtful holiday.

“As a chef and food blogger, I always encourage people to think about the story behind their meals. Opting for humanely raised turkeys, even if it’s a small change, contributes to a larger movement toward more responsible and ethical food consumption. It’s a meaningful way to celebrate the holiday while aligning with values that promote kindness and sustainability,” Longest said.