How many pounds of meat does one cow give on average??

Question

How many pounds of meat does one cow give on average??

Answer 1

Depends on the breed of cattle, the age it was slaughtered, and it's weight at slaughter as to the dress out rate.

So if you slaughter a 1000 pound beefer, the dress out rate is between 60-67% meat, and 40-33% waste, like bones, hide, intestines, ect.

You get a better dress out rate (more meat) with the smaller meat cattle, like Devons and Belted Galloway. (about 67% meat)

You get less meat from the largest of the beef cattle, like Herfords, and Angus. (about 60% meat)

If you have an old dairy cow that is past her milking prime slaughtered, you'll be lucky to get a few hundred pounds of meat.  Old dairy cows are mostly bones, hide, and intestines.

If you buy a whole beef from the butcher, you are usually looking at about 800 pounds of meat.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 2

after its gutted probably around 65 percent of its weight i would think but im no cow butcher or dont work at a slaughter house but it does have guts and bones all waste and saw it done its nasty got me sick