Of course you take it out!
I don't, but I DO thaw it out in a pan, to collect the water and juices for easier disposal.
If you take the turkey out of the wrapper to thaw in cold water, make sure it is in a leak-proof plastic bag and change the water every 30 minutes to ensure it stays cold. Thawing in cold water will accelerate the process compared to thawing in the refrigerator, but it's important to keep the turkey at a safe temperature to prevent bacteria growth.
It will take a couple of hours to thaw out a turkey leg before its ready to cook. It should take about 2 hours.
It typically takes about 3-4 days for a 16 lb turkey to thaw in the refrigerator.
How long does it take in the refrigerator to thaw a 21lb. frozen whole turkey?
Put it in a big bowl of warm or hot water for a day before you cook it with the wrapper off. Change it regularly becuae you will get the blood of the turkey.
It typically takes about 3-4 days to thaw a 16 lb turkey in the refrigerator.
The best way to thaw it is in the refrigerator. Figure one day for each 4-5 pounds of turkey, so it should take 5-6 days to thaw out a 25-pound turkey.
A turkey requires at least 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of weight to thaw in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees F.In cold water it will take about 30 minutes per pound.
A frozen 20 pound turkey will take about three days to thaw in the fridge.
Thawing a 16lb turkey typically takes about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
The following link has information pertaining to your question: http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/bltrkeyb.htm Seven days in the refridgerator. A 20 pound frozen turkey if placed in the fridge will take three days to thaw.
It should take about 3 days to thaw a 12-pound turkey in the fridge.