Research on broilers is often applied to commercial turkeys, as is the case with many studies on photoperiod lengths. At the 2025 Poultry Science Association annual meeting, Karen Schwean-Lardner, PhD, University of Saskatchewan, presented results of her study that were specific to turkeys.
The International Poultry Welfare Alliance brings together expertise from across the value chain to develop Key Welfare Indicator Reference Guides for broilers, turkeys and layers, which align measurements and communications of welfare outcomes.
Turkey producers should not avoid using chemical anticoccidial products for fear of resistance, but they do need to use them strategically. In an appearance on the Iowa Turkey Federation’s Turkey Talkshow podcast, Steven Clark, DVM, Huvepharma’s veterinary technical services manager, said new evidence suggests there is “minimal risk” with common products, providing farmers rotate when necessary.
Emily Kimminau, PhD, technical service manager at Merck, says the loss of effective in-feed treatments to control blackhead means the disease — which can reduce performance, increase mortality and drive secondary infections — has seen a resurgence in U.S. flocks.
For turkey producers, blackhead remains a high-impact threat, particularly in young birds, where infection can spread quickly and cause major losses. Unfortunately, there are limited approved treatment options compared with past decades.
In December 2025, US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) released an updated report quantifying the US poultry industry’s on-farm antibiotic use.
In this Q&A, Daniel Maekawa, DVM, PhD, technical services veterinarian with Merck Animal Health, discusses how producers can approach aMPV with a practical, integrated mindset — bringing together biosecurity, vaccination and management to reduce complex-level impact.
Turkey poults develop a wide range of behaviors besides eating, sleeping and resting in their first week of life. They also learn play behaviors and activities to comfort themselves, according to research by Alexandra Jackson, doctoral student, Auburn University.
Raised to maximize meat production, commercial turkey toms are bred to grow quickly and gain weight in a short time. This begs the question whether the bird’s skeletal system meets that developmental challenge.
As resistance continues to erode the effectiveness of traditional anticoccidial programs in turkeys, veterinarians are increasingly focused on strategies that protect birds while preserving available tools. A multi-year field experience with a US heavy tom producer suggests that coccidiosis vaccines can play a practical role in conventional rotation programs.
The latest technology providing access to feed and water in hatcheries could change how vaccinations and other general practices are conducted. Katherine Schaefbauer, Jennie-O Turkey Store, led a research trial with a coccidiosis vaccine administered to fed and non-fed turkey poults in the hatchery, and presented the results at the 2025 AAAP Meeting.
Avian metapneumovirus has not been detected in the US since the 1990s. So, it was a surprise in 2023 when cases began surfacing in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. By January 31, 2024, the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network received its first suspect case. Here’s what they did.
