Matarranya, Teruel — The intense hailstorm that fell on Saturday 3 May 2025 across the municipal districts of Valderrobles and Queretes (Teruel, Aragón) has resulted in a particularly severe outcome for a turkey farm located on the outskirts of the comarca capital: 1,380 turkeys dead from suffocation after piling up inside one of the houses.
As explained by Julio Vallés, co-owner of the affected farm, the turkeys crowded into one end of the house when the hail began to pound loudly on the metal roof. “The turkey is a very easily startled bird and the noise on the sheet metal caused them all to run at once,” he stated. As a result of that pressure, hundreds of birds became trapped and died from lack of oxygen.
The operation, trading under the name Agrogisel, comprises two sites. The first, consisting of a single turkey house — the oldest one — located near the Valderrobles cemetery, suffered only minor damage to its roof covering. The second, with two newly built houses equipped with the latest technology, was where the mass mortality occurred. “The construction is what it is: an iron sheet roof and a great deal of noise,” Vallés lamented after the final casualty count.
The structure of the houses withstood the hailstorm, but the enormous noise generated was what ultimately stressed the turkeys, causing them to pile up and perish. Although turkey farmer Julio Vallés was present on the farm when it all happened, there was nothing he could do to prevent the turkeys from frantically piling on top of one another, resulting in the death by suffocation of 1,380 birds.
The turkeys were 9 weeks of age and were just two weeks away from being sent to the slaughterhouse.
The farm holds insurance for events of this kind, although the economic losses from the death of the animals could amount to a considerable sum, according to Vallés. “Losses could be between €6,000 and €7,000, though that is not an exact figure, as it depends on several factors such as feed costs and the turkeys’ feed conversion ratios,” the owner added.
Beyond the turkey farm, the hailstorm — with hailstones the size of golf balls — caused widespread damage to vehicles, greenhouses, vineyards, almond orchards and cereal fields. Both the Consell Comarcal del Matarranya and the local councils of Queretes and Valderrobles are assessing the damage in order to quantify the losses.
This incident highlights the vulnerability of poultry to acoustic stress and the importance of reviewing roofing materials and contingency plans in the face of extreme weather events. It should be noted that turkeys and guinea fowl, among other species, are far more sensitive to acoustic stress than broiler chickens.