[Robyn]

Hi.
This time of year I take lambs to the abattoir for private kill, leave them hang there for a week and then bring them home to butcher myself.
Last week I had 2 killed, both texel x welsh mule females straight off grass, no dry feed, one 46kg live killing out at 22kg R3H and one 40kg live killing out at 19kg U3L. As I was short of time to cut them up, they were taken to a butcher.
My question is simply what weight of meat should I expect back from each carcass?
Thank you in advance.

[devonlady]

I've just had Jacob X Texels born April back. They were between 27 and 29 kilos, butchered out. All fattened on grass, I was very pleased with them!  Hope this helps.

[twizzel]

Sounds about right on those 2 carcasses. Don't forget you lose a little after butchering too. Ewe lambs have a better kill out % than ram lambs. We've sent lambs off 44-47kg and got carcasses back 19.5-23kg and after butchered 9.5-11.2kg this year.

[Slimjim]

 I think you want to know what weight of meat you can expect back from the butcher from your 22kg and 19kg carcasses. Good question. I use the butcher at the abattoir and have always been disappointed at the low weights I get back. Most recent examples are 2 Lleyn x Hampshire ewe lambs (45 and 42kg respectively) came back labelled 19kg and 17.7kg. However when I actually weighed a bagged half of the 17.7 one, it was barely 7 kg! I had already sold the larger one for £120, so I am now concerned about how much that one weighed!!
I think I need a conversation with the butcher next time I go.

[Robyn]

I think you want to know what weight of meat you can expect back from the butcher from your 22kg and 19kg carcasses. Good question.

Yes Slimjim, that's exactly what I'd like your opinion on.

I picked up the 2 packs of meat yesterday and was very disappointed to say the least.
The 22kg carcase is now 17.4kg and the 19kg carcase is now 15.6kg.
Where has the other 4.6 and 3.4kgs gone? That's 8kgs in total or 19.5% of dressed carcase weight disappeared.

But comparing them to half your 17.7kg carcase ending up at barely 7kgs, then maybe they're about right.

[harmony]

If you normally cut up yourself what weight would you have expected from those dw's?

[Robyn]

If you normally cut up yourself what weight would you have expected from those dw's?

I've never weighed the meat yield before, but I'm certain that I don't trim off 20% of the carcase weight, that's why I asked for other members' opinion and experience.

When I butcher the carcases I only cut off the hocks (leg ends) and tail and then any excess fat if there is any, everything else is bagged for the freezer.

[Robyn]

I've just had Jacob X Texels born April back. They were between 27 and 29 kilos, butchered out.

devonlady, to have them butchered out at 27 and 29kgs, what were their live weight and dressed carcase weight?

[mcd]

It depends on your spec or style of butchery. was the aitch bone and tail bone removed from the legs? The fore ribs and neck bones would almost certainly have been removed. kidney fats would have been trimmed. How much fat did they trim away for you?

[shep53]

.

Yes Slimjim, that's exactly what I'd like your opinion on.

I picked up the 2 packs of meat yesterday and was very disappointed to say the least.
The 22kg carcase is now 17.4kg and the 19kg carcase is now 15.6kg.
Where has the other 4.6 and 3.4kgs gone? That's 8kgs in total or 19.5% of dressed carcase weight disappeared.

But comparing them to half your 17.7kg carcase ending up at barely 7kgs, then maybe they're about right.
[/quote]                                                                                                                                                                         AS mcd says some meat will have been taken off the bone and rolled , the leg bones trimmed  , EBLEX  says that your  R3L  may have 1.5kg fat trimmed and your R3H   3kg  , also  if half wt was done hot then  after 1 wk the carcass will be lighter

[SallyintNorth]

How much bone has been removed?  Are all your shoulders whole, or boned & rolled?  Legs as joints - or steaks?  All loin as chops, etc.  Breast no doubt has been boned.  Have you some diced meat?  Burgers, sausages, mince?  Butchers can't help themselves but trim fat off and bones are heavy .  Oh, and if the meat was hung, it loses quite a bit of weight as it dries out, too.

Your returned weights, being 80 and 82% of the deadweights, sound completely acceptable to me - good, even.  I got a lot less %age than that back from my heifer!

[Robyn]

Thank you for your advice.

The dressed carcase weight recorded at the slaughterhouse I use is always quoted as warm weight less 1.0 to 1.4kgs dependent on actual weight (rounded up to the nearest 0.5kg). Kidneys are always removed on the production line.

I can understand that some fat has been removed on the 22kg R3H, possibly why that carcase has lost 1.2kg more, but the 19kg U3L is what we used to sell as a prime Waitrose Welsh Lamb carcase.

Leg bones have been trimmed, tail bone removed and neck cut level with the shoulder, but the aitch bone is still attached.

Each pack consisted of the following:-
2 leg joints halved but not deboned
2 shoulder joints halved but not deboned
12 double chops, spine is intact but the ribs have been cut out
2 breasts rolled but not deboned (lower parts of the ribs are intact)
No steaks, diced meat, burgers, sausages or mince

[SallyintNorth]

This time of year I take lambs to the abattoir for private kill, leave them hang there for a week and then bring them home to butcher myself.

Have you ever compared abattoir deadweight to the weight returned after hanging for a week?

[Robyn]

Have you ever compared abattoir deadweight to the weight returned after hanging for a week?

I haven't, but I'll certainly check next time.

[harmony]

You said you haven't weighed your butchered meat at home but how did what you had back from the butcher compare to your own home butchered experience in terms of joints, size of etc.