# Holsteins sent to Butcher Shop



## lovinglife

The hanging weight is 711 and 722, any idea how many pounds of meat we can expect?  I don't have a clue what the percentages are for holstein steers.

Thanks


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## WildRoseBeef

Estimate around 51% dressage weight.  That'll probably be around 362 and 368 lb of meat each.


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## Bossroo

lovinglife said:
			
		

> The hanging weight is 711 and 722, any idea how many pounds of meat we can expect?  I don't have a clue what the percentages are for holstein steers.
> 
> Thanks


When you say "hanging weight" did you mean after the cattle were slaughtered and their carcasses are hung or live weight?


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## lovinglife

Yes, hanging, in the locker.  I figure they were over 1400 live weight.  Just trying to figure if I will need more freezer space.


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## lovinglife

362 pounds of meat from a 1400 pound cow???  What a waste!!!


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## SheepGirl

I think dressing percentage means the point from live weight to hanging weight. I know with lambs, the % of retail trimmed cuts (after the hanging carcass is cut up and fat/bones removed) is 70% of the hot carcass weight. If the same conversion factor was used for beef, I would guess you would get about 500# of meat off of each one. However, I'm not sure what the %RTC is for beef (Holstein steers, at that) so it may be different.


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## lovinglife

That sounds better, but still seems like a lot of waste.  But then 500 pounds of meat is a lot of meat, will have to wait and see what we get.

Thanks SheepGirl


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## Queen Mum

I agree with sheep girl. We used to get 5 - 700 pounds of meat off of a 1600 pound steer so 500  to 600 pounds is about right from hanging weight of 700 to 800 pounds.


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## WildRoseBeef

Dressage weight would indeed be the percentage yield of the hot carass in relation to the live weight.  From what I've been reading, I think I underestimated my dressing percentage.  It should be around 58% of live-weight.  Then the ready-to-eat percentage would be 49% of the carcass weight. For a 1400 lb steer, the carcass weight would possibly be 812 lbs. From that, you'd get around 400 lbs of meat.  So you're still going to expect 1000 lbs of waste from the point of live weight to the ready-to-eat weight. 

But these estimates are for finished feedlot beef steers, not for a Holstein steer that will never get as big and fat as, say, an Angus or Charolais steer will. You will thus have to expect a lower dressage percentage, like around 53%, for that Holstein steer.  Holsteins tend to develop more bone than muscle, which is why you are going to have to expect a lower meat yield from that animal than from a feedlot beef steer.


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## lovinglife

I realize I will get less than a feed lot beef breed, and I will NOT raise them again.  What a pain they were.  Can't wait to eat them..


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## Alice Acres

lovinglife said:
			
		

> I realize I will get less than a feed lot beef breed, and I will NOT raise them again.  What a pain they were.  Can't wait to eat them..


I love that one...
As a kid, we had a half holstein, half angus cow. (She herself was a product of a 1st time dairy heifer bred to an angus bull for a smaller birth weight 1st calf). She had all the best traits of each breed. Her name was Molly and the BEST cow ever! Each time she was bred and calved, we purchased another calf too - and she raised both of them. The "foster" calf varied - sometimes it was a beefer, sometimes a holstein. Those holstein steers just are all bone...but as it was basically a freebie to raise, we still came out ahead (we had a 40 acre farm and about 20 acres of pasture).


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