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Kilos on the scale, kilos on the hook
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About this section
Two numbers get confused at the scale. The first is what the animal itself weighs, hide, head, legs and gut included. The second is what hangs on the hook after dressing, and it is markedly smaller. The share between them shifts with condition and breed: a well-finished fat-tailed ram gives up more of itself than lean young stock of the same height. Treat the two as separate quantities, work them out for the animal in front of you, and agree where it will be weighed.
What exactly is liveweight?
It is the mass of the living animal on a scale, hide, head, legs and stomach contents and all. That is the figure quoted in listings and the one most bazaar deals are struck on. It drifts through the day: a ram that has just drunk and eaten reads heavier than the same ram fasted in the morning, which is why serious weighings happen before feeding.
How much meat does a sheep yield?
An honest answer is a range, not a figure: dressing percentage is typically quoted around forty to fifty per cent of liveweight, and higher on a well-finished fat-tailed ram. Everything after that depends on the animal, its age, condition, breed and how it was kept in its last weeks. If a seller promises a yield well above that band, ask where the number comes from and arrange a weighing.
How do I work out price per kilo?
Divide the sum agreed by the animal's weight and you have the cost of a kilo on the hoof. That is the only fair way to hold one ram against another, because the same total buys different animals at forty kilos and at seventy. To reach a cost per kilo of meat, divide again by the dressing share, remembering it stays an estimate until the carcass exists.
Where and when should an animal be weighed?
Bazaars and larger farms keep platform scales for livestock, and a truck weighbridge is sometimes used instead. Settle in advance whose scale it will be and who pays for its use. Weigh before feeding and watering, with you standing there, and take two readings in a row. A girth tape gives a rough idea only; the spread is wide, and no argument about money ends on such a number.
Can I trust the weight in a listing?
The seller types that figure in. QoyHunter does not weigh animals and does not verify what is written, so treat it as a search aid: the weight filter is there to narrow the shelf, not to close a deal. The real number comes from a scale when you meet. Ask about weight in the chat beforehand, and if reality differs at handover, recalculate the sum rather than loading up.
How does liveweight differ from carcass weight?
Liveweight is the whole animal standing on the scale. Carcass weight is what remains once the hide is off and the head, feet and offal are removed. The ratio of the second to the first is the dressing percentage. Mixing them up costs money: the owner talks in liveweight, the buyer counts meat, and the disagreement surfaces at the butchering when it could have been settled at the scale.
How do I search listings by weight?
The filters carry weight alongside age, height at the withers, sex, breed and region, so set a lower and upper bound and the shelf keeps only what fits. Then compare more than kilograms: a young ram and an old one at the same weight are priced differently and eat differently. Judge condition from photographs taken from the side and behind, and settle anything doubtful in the chat.