Trixie the turkey survives another Christmas cut!

Ireland’s pluckiest bird has pulled it off again – survived the oven at Christmas!

The life expectancy of your typical turkey is under a year, but Trixie the Turkey is now looking forward to living through her fifth Christmas.

Trixie was destined for the dinner table of St Mary’s nursing home, in Shantalla in the city, at Christmas 2013. But fate and a broken wing intervened to save Trixie from the Christmas chop – she was put on a course of antibiotics . . . and turkeys on medication cannot be eaten. The residents became so attached to Trixie, they voted not to eat her the following Christmases either. And now Trixie is the oldest turkey in the land that was bred for the Christmas market.

Cats reputedly have nine lives, and Trixie must have some feline genes in her because she’s still thriving aged five.

“She’s a great survivor,” said Yvonne Carpenter, St. Mary’s Director of Nursing.

“Santa Claus was here this morning and weighed Trixie – she’s 15 kilos, which is over 30 pounds. She’s a big bird, and getting bigger compared with last year. How long do turkeys live? One year! Everyone keeps asking how long Trixie will live, and we just don’t know, she’s flying it, as healthy as ever.”

The secret to her longevity? “Warm porridge for breakfast,” said Yvonne.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.