I personally think that running your yield figures off live weight has too many subjectives. Condition, hide thickness, how much is in their bellies. I think working off hanging weight is a better way to figure. When I opened up 4 months ago, I was expecting to see hanging weights around 60% of live wt, in line with what I had always heard. However what I found was the majority are actually going to hang around the 50% mark. I had a situation with a gentleman a while back who questioned the amount of meat he received back. His yield was 64% of his hanging weight, boned out. I contacted another local processor when I was looked at rather dubiously. This guy raises and feeds out cows he puts through his shop. He told me if he gets a 58 - 60% yield (boned out) he is very happy. Hanging weights that are 60% of the live weight is only on cows that have been fed out extremely well. The one in question I ran my numbers on was actually grass-fed and in beautiful condition. He hung at 50% with a 64% yield off hanging weight. We don't usually weigh the yield, but had to under the circumstances.