"Footage that was captured by Mercy for Animals’ undercover worker and shared exclusively with Bon Appétit depicts tens of thousands of birds that appear so tightly packed into barns that the ground is barely visible beneath them; multiple turkeys that seem to have skin lesions and bloody wounds; and various deformed birds that appear unable to stand or move themselves to food and water. In multiple instances, turkeys are kicked, shoved, and tossed by handlers. Dead poults—as young turkeys are known—are hauled out in buckets and driven to a sprawling, snow-covered pile of carcasses.

. . .

Multiple veterinarians and animal welfare experts who viewed anonymized clips of the footage provided to Bon Appétit say that the documented practices—of a large number of birds housed with little open space—and resulting conditions are not uncommon on industrial turkey farms. 'Unfortunately, these injuries and conditions reflect standard industry practice for raising turkeys in the US, where fast-growing breeds are densely stocked,' says Hillary Dalton, PhD, who has a doctorate in poultry behavior and welfare and is a senior research manager at Compassion in World Farming, a non-profit that advocates for smaller farms and humane animal production practices. 'It’s appalling and it’s normal,' says Delcianna Winders, an associate professor of law and director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School.'"

Read the entire Miami Herald article here.