Education

Lamb and Goat Marketing – Dressing Percentages of Slaughtered Lamb & Goat Carcasses

Dressing percentage (DP) = (hot carcass weight/live weight) x 100, i.e., it's a measurement of the weight of the carcass compared to the live weight of the animal. For example, if an animal weighs 80 lbs live and dresses out with a 40 lb hanging carcass, the DP is 50%.

Dressing percentage is affected by what parts of the goat are being included in the carcass weight. Is the hide included? Is the head included?  Are any organs (heart, kidney, liver, etc.) included? Other factors that influence dressing percentage include, but are not limited to, gut fill and carcass fat.

Note: Although dressing percentage is extremely important to the packer who purchases live animals, it is not a very good indicator of the value of the potential carcass, especially for sheep. Higher dressing percentages on sheep are often a result of much fatter carcasses. This is less true for goats unless they are excessively fat. This is because goats carry the bulk of their fat internally and this internal fat drops out with the gut and internal organs when slaughtered.

Goats – Hide Off /Head On (60 to 120 lbs. live). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45% to 55%
Kid Goats – Hide On /Head On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .60% to 68%
Kid Goats – Hide Off /Head On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .50% to 60%
Kid Goats – Hide Off /Head On with organs hanging . . . . . . . . . . .52% to 62%
Feeder & Market Lambs – Hide Off /Head Off (60 to 120 lbs. live) … 50% Avg.
Hot House Lambs – Hide On /Head On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65% to 70%
Hot House Lambs – Hide Off /Head On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55% to 58%
Cull Sheep – Hide Off /Head On (Depending on Condition) . . . . .37% to 52%

These percentages are based on averages. To be really accurate you should keep records from your own animals. These averages are helpful tools to calculate what the live weight price will be when the animals are sold on a dressed weight basis and vice versus.

Example: A live lamb that weighs 80 lbs. is sold to a Halal market at $1.50/lb.

80 lbs x $1.50 = $120.00 à            This is what you are paid in live weight.

If the dressed weight is 50%, calculate as follows:

Divide $1.50 (live weight price) by the dressing percentage (50%) and the animal is worth $3.00/lb on a dressed weight basis.

If sold on a dressed weight basis, .50 x 80 lbs = 40 lbs; and 40 lbs x $3.00 = $120.00