Unnatural Breeding Techniques and Results in Modern Turkey Production
Like other segments of agriculture, the turkey industry has changed significantly in recent decades, as fewer large companies have come to dominate the production and marketing chain. As the industry has changed, so has the basic genetic makeup of the birds. Turkey breeders have selected birds genetically programmed to grow fast and large in order to maximize production, but in doing so they have also created significant animal welfare problems. This report describes the consequences associated with intensive genetic selection and artificial insemination in the turkey industry.