Turkey Trouble: Genetics Gone Too Far?

In light of Thanksgiving this week, here is a short article that discusses the various health problems that affect commercial turkeys. Due to the selection of large breast muscles, the turkeys on commercial farms can barely walk. They cannot even mate because their breasts are so large. Furthermore, when comparing their body size to their bone structure, there is no way that these turkeys are not in pain.



Many people do not realize that most of the qualities that we look for in certain foods are actually mutations. They have been artificially selected because we prefer those traits. However, in the case of livestock, is it morally right to breed animals with traits that cause harm to them, just for our benefit? It does not stop at livestock. Certain dogs are bred for qualities that we find desirable, but those qualities also involve health problems. I am personally a little put off by the fact that turkeys and chickens on commercial farms are prone to having heart attacks because their hearts cannot handle the work necessary to pump blood throughout their super-sized bodies. It's really something to think about.