Turkeys

Turkey production divides broadly into large-scale commercial meat production, using intensively selected strains raised on formulated feed in controlled housing, and smaller-scale or heritage production, which favours slower-growing, traditional breeds often kept on pasture or in backyard flocks. Market demand, biosecurity requirements, and available infrastructure shape which model predominates in a given region.

Broad-breasted commercial strains

Selected intensively for rapid growth and breast-meat yield, dominant in large-scale commercial meat production.

Heritage and traditional breeds

Slower-growing breeds retained for genetic diversity, distinct market niches, and smallholder or pasture-based systems.

Breed and strain diversity is documented internationally, including through FAO’s Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS), which records poultry breeds and their status by country.

As monogastric birds, turkeys are fed formulated diets rather than forage-based rations, typically built around cereal grains and protein sources and balanced with vitamins and minerals to match age, strain, and growth stage. Because turkeys lack a rumen, they cannot make efficient use of large quantities of fibrous forage the way ruminants do.

Flock health and welfare depend on appropriate nutrition and water, suitable housing with attention to ventilation, temperature, and stocking density, and biosecurity to limit the introduction and spread of disease, including diseases of concern to both poultry and public health.

Turkey meat is an important protein source in a number of markets, with production closely tied to grain and protein-feed availability given the reliance on formulated feed rather than grazed forage. Biosecurity is a particular focus in turkey production because of susceptibility to several avian diseases, and management practices vary considerably between large integrated operations and smaller or heritage flocks.