butchered another steer

[copperhead]

This calf was 27 months old, weighed 626 walking in and only had a hot hanging weight of 304 !!! That is a pitifull number. I don't know why these last two have been so in-efficient, but it's really discourageing. The meat looks great, nice and lean, but it just seems like a really bad return. He was grass fed with a very small amount of grain the last 45 days. I ask the butcher what he thought could be the problem why I only had 48% return. He said maybe he just had an extra big paunch on him or even a really thick hide, not a lot of help. Oh well, he should be good eating anyway, I just wanted more.
P.J.

[kansasdexters]

Hi P.J.

You didn't mention how you measured the live weight of the steer. If you used the scale at the local Co-op to weigh your truck, trailer, & steer, then drove back and re-weighed with just the truck & trailer -- then your steer's live weight could be off by 20 lb (easily). If his gut was full, that could explain another 10 to 15 lb. If the butcher discarded most of the organ meats (the liver typically weighs about 8 to 10 lb, just by itself) before getting a hot carcass weight -- and this can happen if the liver is rejected by the inspector for any reason, then the hot carcass weight (hanging weight) will be less.

We processed several older Dexters this year and because they were older than 30 months, all of the organ meats were automatically discarded and not included in the hanging weight. One of the cows had a live weight of 680 lb and a hanging weight of 347 lb, and that's only a 51% yield. But the cow's meat was well marbled and the carcass has enough fat on it to hang for the full 21 days of dry aging that we strive for.

If the inspector "mouthed" your steer and decided that he was over 30 months of age, then all of his organ meats would have been discarded and his hanging weight would have been 15 to 17 lb less than a comparable steer under 30 months of age.

My processor sells retail cuts of meat, and I have no concern about him "shorting" me -- that's because he is a good, honest man and he has been a joy to work with in helping me to establish a thriving wholesale/retail Dexter beef business over the past 3 years. Every carcass is individually identified, individually cut, individually weighed (as retail cuts), and every box of meat is individually weighed. I know what each animal's live weight, hanging weight, and cut weight is. I know how much is hamburger, how much is steak, how much is roast, etc.

I can send you a copy of the Dexter steer feed out study that was done in Oklahoma in 2002 at OSU. It has the results for 30 Dexter steers and the range in yields from that study were from 41.6% to 57.8%. These were Dexter steers that were finished on a corn-based ration with sunflower hulls for roughage for 95 to 123 days (some started before others did). Most of them had a quality grade of Select or Select +; a few graded as Choice, and a few graded as Standard.

Hope this helps.

Patti

[copperhead]

The butcherr weighed the calf when we delivered him. I got the liver so I know they didn't discard the organs. I ask if that was the hot hanging weight and they said it was. Please do send me that study, maybe it will help me with my feeding program.
thanks, P.J.

[dexterfan]

We've butchered jersey/angus crosses a couple of times and our Amish butcher fella said we should always make sure they get GREEN grass 30 days prior to slaughter. He, effectively, was saying don't butcher when the grasses are dead. It can really impact the meat. He explained the ins and outs at the time, how they need the chlorophyll and live plant matter.

I know this doesn't affect the overall finish weight of your steer, but has anyone heard anything about the healthiness of the beef being affected by its grass intake at the end? Just curious.

[copperhead]

I had New York strips and Sirloin steaks last nite, and boy o boy!!!!! They were so good, I'll forgive him for being in-efficient as far as weight. The meat was so lean, and dark red color, really, really tender and so tasty.

[allmuxedup]

Jan 1, 2010 16:29:29 GMT -5 dexterfan said:

.....we should always make sure they get GREEN grass 30 days prior to slaughter.

The reason that I harvest only after they've been on GREEN, growing grass for 90 days is that is when the CLAs are highest. I harvest in June, because the freezer is empty by then & I just can't wait!

[Clive]

You guys in the US are way ahead of the game. In the UK, not many people seem interested, probably because they actually believe that most cattle eat grass all the time, but they don't, very few do in fact. I had my 30th birthday on Sunday, or was it 60?, anyhow I feel 30 so that'll do. We've totally run out of Dexter so we bought one of our supermarkets top of the range, 21 day dry-aged sirloin steaks. Yuck!!!! It was succulent and tender, but the flavour . The fat was so pasty, with an after-taste.

Why don't you guys get tests done for fatty acids and CLA? Lowline have done it www.minicowswest.com/beefstudies2.htm#5. I bet it wouldn't cost much at all in the US.

[copperhead]

I put this info on another thread, but I'm going to put it here too. This last steer, weighed 576, lbs but had a hanging wieght of 312. A lot better than the last one, and I really think the difference is the butcher!!! I want back to the one I used before, and am a lot happier. I switched because they still use paper wrap, and I wanted vacume pack, but it's not worth it. They let the calf hang 14 days, and I got a lot more meat back. I got home with 226 lbs of wrapped meat, so thats a pretty hard hit on the shrink and loss, but I'm a lot happier with the over all results. And, they don't add "fat" to the hambuger like the last place did!!
P.J.