Are turkeys more resistant to pre-slaughter cold stress if compared with broilers?

A recent paper published by Canadian researchers on Poultry Science evidenced that exposure to very low environmental temperature prior to slaughter (-18°C for 8 h) of turkeys (both 12-wks-old hens and 16-wks-old toms) had negligible effect on live weight loss and meat quality. Very few differences were found in hens (higher live shrink and darker meat), while meat from toms were almost unaffected.

In a similar study conducted on broilers, the same authors found a remarkable increase in live shrink and very big incidence (approximately 60%) of DFD (dark, firm and dry) breast meat when the exposure temperature was below ?14°C.

The larger size (and associated decreased surface area from which to lose heat) of turkeys compared to broilers likely plays a significant role, but other factors as feathering and metabolic differences, must also be considered.