Live Weight to Carcass (lbs)
The "hanging weight" (carcass yield) is the weight of a sheep after evisceration, skinning, and head removal. A healthy sheep typically has a dressing percentage of 50%. Use this calculator to estimate your hanging weight in pounds.
lb (Live)
lb (Carcass)
What is Dressing Percentage?
Dressing percentage is simply the carcass weight divided by the live weight, expressed as a percentage. While 50% is a safe rule of thumb, it can fluctuate based on the animal's condition.
What Lowers Your Yield?
- 1Heavy Fleece: A sheep with 10 lbs of wool will weigh more alive, but the carcass weight remains the same, lowering the percentage.
- 2Full Rumen: Weighing a sheep immediately after grazing on lush pasture means you are weighing undigested grass. Fasting animals for 12-24 hours prior to weigh-in provides a much more accurate yield percentage.
About this
Divide the live weight by 2 (or multiply by 0.5).
Best used for
- Direct Farm Sales
- Homestead Meat Planning
- Butcher Yield Verification
Quality checks
- 100 lbs Live ≈ 50 lbs Carcass
Simple workflow
- Step 1
Weigh the live animal in pounds
- Step 2
Multiply by 0.5 to find the estimated hanging weight
sheep carcass yield calculator lbslive weight to hanging weightsheep dressing percentage poundshow much meat on a sheep
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