Every year in the United States, 300 million turkeys are killed for their flesh. Almost all spend their entire lives on factory farms and have no federal legal protection.
Turkeys raised on factory farms are hatched in large incubators and never see their mothers or feel the warmth of a nest. When they are only a few weeks old, they are moved into filthy, windowless sheds with thousands of other turkeys, where they will spend the rest of their lives. To keep the birds from killing one another in such crowded conditions, parts of the turkeys’ toes and beaks are cut off, as are the males’ snoods (the flap of skin under the chin). All this is done without any pain relievers—imagine having the skin under your chin chopped off with a pair of scissors. Millions of turkeys don’t even make it past the first few weeks of life in a factory farm before succumbing to “starve-out,” a stress-induced condition that causes young birds to simply stop eating.
Turkeys are bred, drugged, and genetically manipulated to grow as large as possible as quickly as possible to increase profits. According to one industry publication, modern turkeys grow so quickly that if a 7 pound human baby grew at the same rate, the infant would weigh 1,500 pounds at just 18 weeks of age. Turkeys are now so obese that they cannot reproduce naturally; instead, all the turkeys who are born in the United States today are conceived through artificial insemination. Read “My Day Working as a Turkey Breeder,” a first hand account of this cruel process.The large amount of feces in the shed causes an ammonia buildup that severely burns turkeys’ skin.
Their unnaturally large size also causes many turkeys to die from organ failure or heart attacks before they are even 6 months old. According an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal about the miserable conditions on turkey farms, “It’s common in a rearing house to find a dead bird surrounded by four others whose hearts failed after they watched the first one ‘fall back and go into convulsions, with its wings flapping wildly.’” When they grow so obese that their legs can’t even support their own weight, turkeys may become crippled—some of these birds starve to death within inches of water.
When turkeys fall ill because of the filthy conditions or become crippled under their own weight, farmers walk through the shed to cull the slow-growing animals (so that they don’t eat any more food). A PETA investigation in Minnesota, the number-one turkey-producing state in the country, revealed that the manager of the farm repeatedly used a metal pipe to bludgeon 12-week-old turkeys who were lame, injured, ill, or otherwise unsuitable for slaughter and consumption. The injured birds were thrown onto piles of other dead and dying birds then tossed into a wheelbarrow for disposal. Birds who were overlooked were kicked or beaten with pliers or had their necks wrung—all in full view of other terrified birds. When the Minnesota Turkey Growers came to the defense of the farmer, the local district attorney refused to prosecute.
Transport and Slaughter
Turkeys are violently thrown into crates and are shipped to slaughter through all weather extremes. Close to 2,000 turkeys can be loaded onto a single truck headed for the slaughterhouse. The turkeys are collected by workers, who grab them by their legs and throw them into large crates. Many birds suffer broken bones in the process. The crates are then loaded onto trucks, and the birds are shipped through all weather conditions without food or water to the slaughterhouse. Millions of turkeys die every year as a result of heat exhaustion, freezing, or accidents during transport.
At the slaughterhouse, turkeys are hung upside-down by their weak and crippled legs before their heads are dragged through an electrified “stunning tank,” which immobilizes them but does not kill them. Many of the terrified birds dodge the tank and, therefore, are fully conscious when their throats are slit. If the knife fails to properly slit the birds’ throats, they are scalded alive in the tank of hot water used for feather removal.
Many turkeys’ bones or wings break when their legs are forced into shackles at slaughter.
Turkeys are intelligent, agile, and resourceful animals. When in their natural surroundings, not on factory farms, they enjoy running, building nests, and raising their young. Please don’t support an industry that abuses these fascinating animals by the millions.
Chicks. On turkey factory farms, baby chicks spend their first few weeks of life in giant, crowded incubators. When they are old enough to move to the warehouse with thousands of other turkeys, the farmers cut off the sensitive tips of their beaks, their toes, and the red flaps of skin under the males' necks, all without pain-killers. Millions of turkeys die during their first few weeks of life from disease, infection, or stress.
On turkey factory farms, baby chicks spend their first few weeks of life in giant, crowded incubators. When they are old enough to move to the warehouse with thousands of other turkeys, the farmers cut off the sensitive tips of their beaks, their toes, and the red flaps of skin under the males' necks, all without pain-killers. Millions of turkeys die during their first few weeks of life from disease, infection, or stress.
The chicks in this picture, whose flesh will be marketed as "free-range", have had their beaks painfully seared off with a hot blade, with no pain relief. Like many "free-range" and "organic" animals, these young turkeys are crowded together in a filthy shed and will not see the sun or breathe fresh air until the day they're loaded onto trucks bound for the slaughterhouse.
Debeaking. This turkey's beak has been painfully seared off with a hot blade. Baby turkeys are "debeaked" to prevent them from pecking each other out of frustration and boredom in the extremely cramped and stressful conditions on factory farms.
Factory Farms. After they are debeaked, turkeys are crammed into enormous sheds: The air is laden with ammonia and is filled with particulate dust from feces and feathers that grates their lungs with every breath. Turkeys are bred and drugged to grow so quickly they often become crippled under their own weight. In fact, modern turkeys are so top-heavy that they can no longer mate naturally; all turkeys used for their flesh are the products of forced artificial insemination.
Neck-Breaking. A PETA undercover investigation into a Minnesota factory turkey farm revealed that the farm manager was violently strangling young birds and haphazardly bludgeoning dozens of others with what he called his “killing stick.” This method of killing birds was deemed acceptable by the turkey industry.
"Free Range" Farms. Labels like "free range" and "free roaming" are not regulated by the government, so any product can wear these labels no matter how badly the animals have been treated. This turkey died on a "free range" farm and her corpse was shoved into a dumpster.
Sick and Injured Turkeys. Many turkeys develop large, festering wounds as a result of the high levels of caustic chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the air. These chemicals emanate from the enormous amounts of feces in the sheds. Many factory farmed turkeys die from these wounds and other infections, and their bodies are sometimes left in the sheds with the survivors for days or weeks before they're finally thrown in the trash.
Sick and Injured Turkeys. In addition to several painful chemical burns caused by the high levels of caustic chemicals found on factory farms, this turkey is also suffering from a broken wing. Sick and injured animals are not humanely euthanized to end their suffering; instead chickens and turkeys are violently thrown into transport trucks and arrive at slaughter with broken wings and legs—sick and dying animals are still be profitable for the industry.
Beating Sick Birds. A PETA undercover investigation into a Minnesota factory turkey farm revealed the farm manager viciously beating sick and injured birds with what he called his "killing stick." He did this because it is cheaper to kill sick birds than to give them proper veterinary care. This method of killing birds was deemed acceptable by the turkey industry.
Dead Turkeys. The filthy and stressful conditions on factory farms lead to extremely high mortality rates. Millions of turkeys don't make it past the first few weeks before succumbing to "starve-out," a stress-induced condition that causes young birds to simply stop eating. Some die of pneumonia or other respiratory illness aggravated by the high levels of ammonia in the sheds; others die of dehydration or starve to death after their legs give out under their drug-induced bulk and they are unable to reach food.
Dead Turkeys. The filthy and stressful conditions on factory farms lead to extremely high mortality rates. This dead turkey is violently tossed onto the back of a truck headed for a rendering plant. Her body will be made into dog or cat food or into feed that will be fed back to other farmed animals.
Transport. After about six months, the animals are grabbed by their delicate legs and slammed into crates on transport trucks, where they will travel for many miles through all weather extremes without food or water to the slaughterhouse. Many turkeys die before they reach their final destination. There are no laws regulating the transport of farmed animals on trucks. People who live near factory farms or slaughterhouses often reports seeing dead or dying animals who have fallen off trucks on the side of the road.
Transport. After about six months, the animals are grabbed by their delicate legs and slammed into crates on transport trucks, where they will travel for many miles through all weather extremes without food or water to the slaughterhouse. Many turkeys die before they reach their final destination. There are no laws regulating the transport of farmed animals on trucks. People who live near factory farms or slaughterhouses often reports seeing dead or dying animals who have fallen off trucks on the side of the road.
Transport. Turkeys are slammed into tiny transport crates and forced to endure lengthy trips to slaughter. They travel through all weather extremes without food or water and many die before they reach their final destination. There are no laws regulating the transport of farmed animals on trucks. People who live near factory farms or slaughterhouses often reports seeing dead or dying animals who have fallen off trucks on the side of the road.
Transport. During transport, turkeys are crammed into open-sided trucks and endure long journeys through all weather extremes. Millions freeze to death or die of heat exhaustion. Traffic accidents during transport are common; injured birds who survive the accidents but are in severe pain from broken legs or wings or other injuries are thrown back into the trucks to be sent on to the slaughterhouse.
Slaughter. At the slaughterhouse, turkeys' sensitive legs are snapped into shackles and they are hung upside down. They are often still completely conscious and struggling to escape when their throats are cut open. Some turkeys miss the neck-cutter, and these terrified birds are still alive when they are dunked into the scalding water of the defeathering tanks.
Slaughter. Many turkeys arrive at the slaughterhouse with broken bones, severe bruises, and wounds. There they are hung upside-down by their sensitive legs, which are forced into metal shackles. They are often still conscious and struggling to escape when their throats are slit, and some are still conscious when they’re dumped into scalding-hot water for feather removal.
Slaughter. This turkey appears to be fully conscious and bleeding from her neck. At the slaughterhouse, turkeys' sensitive legs are snapped into shackles and they are hung upside down. They are often still completely conscious and struggling to escape when their throats are cut open. Some turkeys miss the neck-cutter, and these terrified birds are still alive when they are dunked into the scalding water of the defeathering tanks.
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