Meat from a carcass

[HeskethPritchard]

Guys

As a % of original live body weight, what meat do you reckon we get from our deer after we have grallocxhed it, skinned it, and boned it out?

HP

[silvertip-co]

I think 40-60%. My 150# mulie doe netted me about 80# good fresh cut and wrapped venison.

[HeskethPritchard]

Thanks ST

[Coyboy]

Only once did I actually weigh a carcass and then weigh the meat. It was many years ago and I was cutting it up with the neighbors, they saved every bit of meat including between the ribs. So I did also.(seriously not much left for the crows)

Doe gutted carcass weight was 112# meat after skinning and boneing was 61#. As close as I can remember anyway.

After that I know I never got that percentage of weighted meat off an animal.

[HeskethPritchard]

Thanks CB

That makes roughly 55% I must admit I thought it would be round the 40% mark but I just don't know.

I was wondering if there were any butchers on the forum who might have an idea, especially if they know the ratio from say, cattle, pigs, sheep etc.

I only want a rough order of magnitude (ROM)

Thaanks fellas

[Coyboy]

HP, I worked in a butcher shop when I was 19. I helped fill in part time when they needed help. The ratio would be harder to determine with domestic stock, because many times the bones are included in the cut of meat.

Pigs would have a pretty high percentage. If I remember right there wasen't much that went to waste on a pig. Belly meat=bacon, rib cage=ribs, Hams with bone in. Hocks and heads were sent off to some old German to make hedge cheese and other stuff I wouldn't eat. Some people saved the blood for sausage. You get the picture, higher percentage of yield per pound of carcass.

O' I almost forgot, gutts went to the rendering plant where they cleaned out the intestines for casing.