Beef meat yield from live weight: table of net weight and how to determine the average

One of the main indicators of the productivity of cows, bulls and other representatives of cattle is the slaughter yield of meat. This term is different from the actual weight at the time of slaughter. You can calculate the yield of beef meat based on pre-slaughter live weight in zootechnical tables, using formulas and calculators. The orientation of the breed, age, and the chosen livestock feeding pattern affect the final indicator.

What is slaughter weight and slaughter yield

Slaughter weight of cattle - the weight of the gutted and processed carcass. The calculations do not take into account the entrails, head, hock and carpal joints of the legs, skin, bristles (for pigs).Also, the volume of released blood is not considered. After cutting and gutting, the slaughter yield is calculated.

Slaughter yield - the ratio of slaughter weight to actual weight. To calculate the live weight of individuals, they must be weighed before being sent for slaughter. The received data are compared, indicated as a percentage.

The maximum yield of beef is observed in meat breeds, the minimum - in dairy cows.

Table of slaughter yield of cattle meat

The value is measured as a percentage. Specific numbers depend on the breed lines of cattle: for dairy cows it is 40%, for meat and dairy cows - 70, for meat - more than 80. Beef yield is calculated after gutting. The definition does not take into account internal fat, blood, lower legs, brain from the head and other offal. The following are the average statistics for different breeds of cattle, 18 months old at the time of slaughter.

Ante-mortem weight (average) Slaughter weight Killer Exit Pulp content % 81857980 8081Fat to pulp ratio % 5456 56

Breed variety Red Steppe	Simmental	Black-and-White	Hereford	Charolais	Aberdeen Angus
420	484	444	446	490	429
230	264	248	250	288	238
60	59	59	61	63	60

After gutting, about half of the actual weight is lost. When determining the yield of beef, internal organs and similar structures are not taken into account. But they also have their weight. The table shows averages for cattle slaughtered at 18 months of age.

Kidneys2Fore and back leg Skin (hide) Scar Bones Blood Guts 60-80

Institution/system	Kilograms
Heart	3
2-4
15
17
110-120
8% of live weight

You can determine the slaughter yield of cattle meat using formulas or a calculator. The easiest way is to use the online calculator on zootechnical sites. Such functions allow you to calculate the mass of cattle even without using scales.

Factors affecting performance

The first is the breed of cattle and its direction. Most beef can be obtained from meat breeds: the weight of a heifer is from 600 kg, the bull is from 800 kg. Dairy and meat-dairy cows are distinguished by a mediocre meat yield. The next factor is category. There are 4 in total:

1. A - selected. The actual weight of the animal is over 500 kg.
2. B is the first one. The numbers fluctuate between 400-500.
3. C is the second one. Up to 450 kg.
4. D is the third. Up to 300 kg of cattle from this category is subject to rejection.

Among other influencing factors are the quality of livestock, the fullness of the diet, the state of he alth. To gain maximum weight, individuals need different times.Representatives of precocious breeds can be slaughtered as early as 17-18 months. Common breeds require an average of 2 years. The mass of a heifer is always less than the mass of a bull, the difference reaches 500 kg.

Requirements for cows and heifers

Cows of the meat direction are sent for slaughter, in which the muscle mass is well developed, there are no spinous processes of the spine. Their body has a rounded shape, and the shoulder blades are almost invisible. Also, ischial growths, maklaks are not visible. For dairy cows, the norms and requirements are as follows:

1. When slaughtering, the presence of protruding shoulder blades, bones is allowed.
2. Weakly developed muscles.
3. Small fat accumulations.

For first-calf heifers (up to 350 kg) other requirements are put forward. This is the presence of a good fat layer, which can be felt before slaughter. The physique should be round. Shoulder blades, bone tubercles without sharp protrusions.

Determining the quality of meat products and its composition

The quantity and quality of meat in the carcass of cattle is affected by fattening events, the quality of zootechnical work. As part of beef tissue of adipose, muscle and connective nature. The presence of a minimum amount of cartilage, vessels or lymph nodes is allowed. Pure meat contains the following ingredients:

1. Protein - content up to 22%.
2. Fats - 2-3%.
3. Carbohydrates and other inorganic compounds - from 5%.

The highest quality meat from young castrated bulls. In aged animals, an increased content of refractory lipid, this negatively affects the digestibility of the product.

2-3 hours after slaughter, the rigor stage begins: excess moisture comes out of the meat. The sharpness of smell and taste is lost, but tenderness and juiciness appear.

Indicators of quality and freshness - color, smell and texture of the product. In cows fresh meat is red, in calves it is whitish-pink, in pigs it is pinkish-red. It is dense in consistency, the fossa quickly dissolves after pressing. The presence of foreign odors is not allowed. The color of beef fat is white, yellowish or creamy.

Record holders by weight

In the history of animal husbandry, there are cases when the weight of cattle significantly exceeded the established standards. The record holder for males is a porcelain bull from Switzerland. Its dimensions are 1.9 meters in height and about 1.740 tons of live weight. The record holder among females is a cow of the Holstein-Durkhman breed. The length of her body is more than 400 cm, the actual weight is 2,200 tons, the girth of the sternum is 4 m.

The net weight of beef after slaughter is an indicator that determines productivity. For decoding, the concepts of slaughter weight and output are used. This is the weight of the eviscerated carcass and its percentage to the pre-slaughter weight. The highest quality indicators of productivity in beef cows. The best beef comes from young or castrated bulls.

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