Temperature extremes can compromise livestock welfare and pose serious threats to both economic stability and global food security. In commercial poultry production, newly hatched birds are particular Show more
Temperature extremes can compromise livestock welfare and pose serious threats to both economic stability and global food security. In commercial poultry production, newly hatched birds are particularly vulnerable to thermal stress, with growth-selected species such as turkeys being at heightened risk. To cope with temperature challenges, poultry undergo metabolic, physiological, and behavioral adaptations-responses that may have lasting effects on muscle development and, ultimately, meat quality. This study examined transcriptional changes in the breast muscle of young commercial turkey poults exposed to acute thermal stress. Hatchlings were brooded for 3 days at one of three temperatures: control (35 °C), cold (31 °C), or heat (39 °C). Show less