How to use a kill sheet from an abattoir

Abattoir kill sheets provide valuable information on production efficiency, animal health and profitability. Find out how to use this data to make informed business decisions, improve livestock marketing and maximise returns.

Table 1. Example kill sheet from an abattoir showing a range of lambs within and out of specification

NDTS: Not dressed to specification

Table 1 shows some lambs are light or heavy and grading lean or fat, and some lambs have post-mortem conditions included in the remark. These lambs are likely to attract price penalties.

Table 2. Example kill sheet from an abattoir showing a range of lambs within specification

The lambs in Table 2 are likely to attract the best prices as they are closely suited to customer requirements.

Carcase assessment addresses conformation and fat.

Conformation is assessed from S to P, with S being the optimal conformation and P being the poorest.

Fat cover is assessed on a scale of 1–5, with class 1 being extremely lean and class 5 being extremely fat. Classes 3 and 4 are divided into low (L) and high (H).

The ideal conformation is an R grade or higher (S, E or U). Conformation grades of P and O will result in penalties.

A fat class grade outside of the desired parameters will results in penalties.

Most markets require grades 2 or 3L, with some also paying a base price for a 3H.

Anything less than a 2 can indicate lambs are under finished.

Carcases graded 4L or above are likely to be too fat; this will also have cost you more money to produce.

Different processors supply a variety of markets, check their upper and lower weight bands before supplying lambs.

Weight will be shown in two different ways on a kill sheet: hot weight and cold weight.

Hot weight: After slaughter, the carcase is weighed to the nearest 100 grams.

Cold weight: The carcase will lose a small amount of moisture during chilling; a standard 2% allowance is applied to the hot weight to give the cold weight.

Cold weight is used for payment and classification. The 2% allowance will be rounded to one decimal place.

• Figures ending in 0.04 or below – rounded down
• Figures ending in 0.05 or above – rounded up

This rounded allowance is then deducted from the hot weight to give the cold weight.

The killing-out percentage (KO%) is the carcase weight as a percentage of liveweight.

For example, a 22 kg carcase from a 49 kg lamb would have a KO% of 44.8%. This is not shown on the kill sheet but can be calculated.

You may see the following abbreviations on the kill sheet:

• New-season lamb (NSL)
• Old-season lamb (OSL)
• Mature sheep (MS)

This might indicate a health issue in the flock, so it’s worth sharing with your vet as it can contain key performance information.

Dressing specification remarks may be listed as NDTS (not dressed to spec).