A COK Report:
Animal Suffering in the Turkey Industry

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Transport and Slaughter

Although a wild turkey lives from two to ten years, today's farmed turkeys are transported to slaughter at 14 to 20 weeks.(43) Because there are no U.S. laws regulating poultry transport from farms to the slaughterhouse, turkeys are often badly injured in the process.(44)

Farm employees carry birds out of the growing shed by holding a wing in each hand. This handling can dislocate the turkey's humerus from the shoulder joint. The turkeys are thrown into crates, which are then stacked on the back of trucks. The crates have open sides and do not protect the birds from extreme temperatures or weather. According to one scientist, "Unless crates are properly covered, exposure to wind and cold will rapidly cause freezing of unfeathered parts. The frosted appendage first becomes red and swollen, followed by gangrene, necrosis, and sloughing."(45) Turkeys may die during the trip from hypothermia or heart failure associated with the stresses of catching and transport.(46)

At the slaughter plant, the turkeys are moved out of the trucks, dumped onto conveyors, and hung upside down on shackles around their ankles. Shackling is painful for turkeys, especially since so many suffer from skeletal problems. In the United States, poultry are not included under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, thus there are no legal requirements that turkeys be rendered unconscious before they are slaughtered.(47) Electric stunning in a current-filled water bath is often used to immobilize turkeys before slaughter, making them easier to handle. However, the voltage used may be insufficient to induce unconsciousness(48) and stunning itself may be painful— because their wings hang lower than their heads, turkeys can suffer pre-stun shocks.(49)

After stunning, turkeys have their throats cut. As slaughter lines run at speeds of many thousand birds per hour, workers may miss both carotid arteries, adding up to two minutes to the time taken for birds to bleed to death.(50) One researcher concluded, the "problems associated with inefficient neck cutting [are] only too common in poultry processing plants."(51) As a result, turkeys may be conscious as they enter tanks of scalding water intended to loosen the birds' feathers.

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