Striking plumage
Turkeys can puff up and spread their feathers. Males in particular use their plumage to impress others, communicate and show their place in the group.
About species
Turkeys are striking, social animals full of character.
Turkeys have beautiful plumage, live in groups and communicate through posture, sound and color. Their snood can change color when they are excited or alert. Yet in the animal industry, their lives are often reduced to rapid growth, confinement and slaughter.
About turkeys.
A snood that changes color
The snood, the soft fleshy part above the beak, can change color. When a turkey is excited, tense or displaying, it often becomes more vividly colored.
Living in groups
In the wild, turkeys live together. Males may fight to establish a pecking order, while the group provides safety, structure and social contact.
The stark contrast.
What they need
Turkeys need space to walk, stretch their wings, interact with other turkeys, breathe fresh air and feel the sun. They want to forage, rest, play and be able to escape when they feel threatened.
In the animal industry
Many turkeys hatch in crowded industrial incubators and grow up in small, restrictive spaces. Later they are moved to packed sheds, where poor air quality and lack of movement can lead to stress and health problems.
Natural lifespan
10 years
In the animal industry
4 months
Images from the animal industry.
Images from the animal industry
Scroll horizontally →
Hatched in incubators
Their lives begin in a system focused on numbers, efficiency and production.
Confined spaces
Young turkeys often have barely enough room to move freely or spread their wings.
Overcrowded sheds
As they grow older, they often end up in crowded sheds with little personal space.
Poor air quality
In crowded sheds, the air can become heavy, causing health problems and discomfort.
No room for natural behavior
Flying, playing, foraging and feeling sunlight are replaced by waiting for food and water.
Bred to grow fast
Their bodies are made to grow as quickly as possible, often faster than is natural or healthy.
Transported in crates
For their final journey, turkeys are packed into crates, which can cause intense stress and fear.
A tragic end
After a short life, their journey ends at the slaughterhouse, far from freedom and natural behavior.
This needs to stop.
The number of turkeys we kill each year is almost impossible to comprehend. Behind that number are individuals — each with their own personality and emotions, their own unique experience of the world, and a will to live.
0
An estimate of the number of turkeys killed worldwide since you opened this page.
This estimate is based on figures showing that around 500 million turkeys are killed each year
(Our World in Data).
Protect turkeys.
Turkeys are social, alert, striking animals full of life. Let’s leave these beautiful animals in peace by choosing plant-based.
Get startedPhoto credits
- Hatched in incubators: Farm Transparency Project
- Confined spaces: Andrew Skowron / We Animals Media
- Overcrowded sheds: Lucas Vincour / Zvirata Nejime / We Animals Media
- Poor air quality: Lucas Vincour / Zvirata Nejime / We Animals Media
- No room for natural behavior: Omer Shoshan / We Animals Media
- Bred to grow fast: Andrew Skowron / We Animals Media
- Transported in crates: Andrew Skowron / We Animals Media
- A tragic end: Farm Transparency Project