Steak size

[kenny thomas]

This from Google: As a general rule on a well finished 100% grass-fed steer, the hanging weight is 60% of the live weight and the cut and packaged meat is on average about 60% of the hanging weight.

And I think that's pretty close on an average beef steer. Maybe light on the 60% hanging weight. I'd say that should be closer to 70% of hanging weight.

This is why I prefer to breed stockier cattle.

60% and 60% gets you very close to the 37%. Let's use 1000 lb live weight so easily figured.
60% hanging weight would be 600lb.
60% of 600lb would be 360 lb
So 36% of live weight.

 

[SBMF 2015]

What would you recommend breeding a second calf Hereford to? I'm going to breed her in June. I bought her not long ago and didn't see her first heat till December 16th figured I'd be better to wait to breed her

Black Angus or maybe a homozygous black Simmental

 

[Travlr]

What would you recommend breeding a second calf Hereford to? I'm going to breed her in June. I bought her not long ago and didn't see her first heat till December 16th figured I'd be better to wait to breed her

So you want a March calf? Is she still nursing her first calf? If not, how long has it been? Why wait?

What kind of calf do you want?

 

[laek]

So you want a March calf? Is she still nursing her first calf? If not, how long has it been? Why wait?

I want a February-March calf in hopes that the calf is old enough come winter to be outside. Maybe I'm not right to think that way? Trying to keep them out of the barn! She is still nursing,her calf is about 2.5 months old.

 

[laek]

So you want a March calf? Is she still nursing her first calf? If not, how long has it been? Why wait?

What kind of calf do you want?

I don't like the idea of her freeloading either, what are your thoughts?

 

[laek]

I don't like the idea of her freeloading either, what are your

So you want a March calf? Is she still nursing her first calf? If not, how long has it been? Why wait?

What kind of calf do you want?

im thinking maybe black baldie heifer, what do you think would be good?

 

[Travlr]

I want a February-March calf in hopes that the calf is old enough come winter to be outside. Maybe I'm not right to think that way? Trying to keep them out of the barn! She is still nursing,her calf is about 2.5 months old.

You get to choose when you want a calf and the reasons. I wouldn't worry much about a calf in winter unless you have no windbreaks or get cold rains. Where do you live?

 

[kenny thomas]

You get to choose when you want a calf and the reasons. I wouldn't worry much about a calf in winter unless you have no windbreaks or get cold rains. Where do you live?

He or she stated in an earlier post that they are in Ontario.

 

[laek]

You get to choose when you want a calf and the reasons. I wouldn't worry much about a calf in winter unless you have no windbreaks or get cold rains. Where do you live?

I'm in south eastern Ontario so it gets pretty cold and where I live there isn't a lot of protection from the wind or elements other than the barn. I plan to make a wind break/lean-to for them in the colder weather

 

[laek]

He or she stated in an earlier post that they are in Ontario.

we've been talking about my meat size all day, of course I'm a guy

 

[kenny thomas]

we've been talking about my meat size all day, of course I'm a guy

Here in the US it's getting much harder to be sure. The days of the birds and the bees is getting hard to tell.

 

[laek]

Here in the US it's getting much harder to be sure. The days of the birds and the bees is getting hard to tell.

Ya same confusion/mental disorder happening up here too

 

[greybeard]

Tape measurements can be way off, depending on a lot of factors, not the least of which is that there are so many different ones out there with each one claiming to be the most accurate available. Exactly where you measure-how tight you pull it, and....did you use a beef or dairy tape?

But, it seems that there are too many variables missing to accurately determine if the animals produced the yield and weights that would meet a rough standard.
1. Unsure of what the true live weight was the day they went to slaughter.
2. Hanging weight is unknown.
3. All you really know for sure is what your total packaged take-home weight is.

If you KNOW 2 of the variables, you can calculate to find the 3rd one, but pretty much just speculating on the live weight won't get you very close on the hanging weight.

Of all the things I have read in this thread, I keep going back to what SBMF 2015 said regarding Holstein adding muscle. (the part we eat)
"should add frame, but not muscle."

Holsteins are generally tall leggy animals.. lots of total frame, and lot of their genetics go towards growing milk production capacity first and muscle production 2nd. It takes longer for most dairy breeds to grow to slaughter weight and development. A straight beef genetic is almost all toward muscle growth from the git go. Adding beef genetic to a dairy breed will help offset that extra time, but the beef input won't completely negate the Holstein's need for longer development. I believe the usual on pasture + finishing time for a dairy breed is around `18 months and I would NOT expect a beef/dairy cross to be much less. 1/2 that calf's genetics is still dairy no matter how you cut it.

As far as your bring home weight. Too much unknown there too. How did you have it cut? Did you get 5lbs of liver, a 3 lb heart? kidneys, oxtail, cheekmeat, shanks for stewmeat? You like beef tongue and tripe? None of those are muscle (heart/tongue excepted) but they all figure into total boxed/packaged weight.

I suspect your beef will taste exceptional and be nice and tender. Just not as much there as you had hoped for and I think 45-60 days longer on pasture and 30-40 days more on feed would do wonders with the same calves.

Like others, I find it very perplexing that your processor didn't give you a hanging weight.

 

[laek]

I used a coburn beef weighing tape, it has three scales on it depending on the condition of the animal, moderate, fleshy and very fleshy. I agree that using a tape is not accurate, I measured multiple times and it was consistent. Not saying it's right tho!
I do have the hanging weight numbers (which are on the bill I'm dumb) and the weight that's in my freezer.
As far as the off cuts I requested the liver on both of them. I also got stew meat.