Defrosting a turkey will take about 5 hours per pound. An average 14-19 pound turkey will take up to four days to defrost completely if placed inside the refrigerator.

There is also the option to defrost the turkey in a sink by filling the sink with very cold water and leaving the turkey in the sink inside original packaging. The water should be changed every 30 minutes and the turkey should be place in the water 30 minutes for every pound of turkey. This means a 16 pound turkey will take up to 8 hours to defrost in this manner.