146-I's back and plucked feathers from his wings. 146-I will not make it to Thanksgiving. Disease and suffering are rampant in these filthy and inhumane conditions. To meet consumer demand for breast meat, modern-day turkeys have also been altered to have disproportionately large breasts. This anatomical manipulation contributes to the turkey' difficulty in standing, and makes it impossible for the birds to mount and reproduce naturally.
Turkey producers rely entirely on artificial insemination as the sole means of reproduction.
When turkeys reach market weight, they are packed into crates and trucked to the slaughterhouse. Here, fully conscious turkeys are hung upside down by their feet on metal shackles, suffering pain and terror as they are carried on a conveyor belt to the knife. As a result, millions of turkeys are slowly bled to death. Industry reports also indicate that the slaughter process is often inaccurate. When the knife misses its mark, or the conveyor belt is moving too quickly, the birds are boiled alive in the scalding tank.