MSU Animal Science Test 1 Practice Test

Dressing percentage is the portion of the live animal that ends up as the carcass after slaughter and dressing. It’s calculated by dividing the hot carcass weight by the live weight and multiplying by 100. For swine, a typical value around 72% is used in the industry, meaning about 72 pounds of carcass come from every 100 pounds of live weight. This reflects the mass removed during dressing (head, viscera, hide, blood, etc.) versus what remains as the usable carcass. For example, a pig weighing 200 pounds live would yield roughly a 144-pound carcass at 72%. That’s why 72% is the best choice.