Purchase price: live vs. hanging weight
When you buy a whole or half lamb, the price per pound is quoted by either live weight or hanging (carcass) weight.
- Live weight: what the animal weighs while it's still alive, standing in the pasture. This is what the butcher receives from the farm.
- Hanging (carcass) weight: the weight after the inedible parts (hide, head, feet, organs, blood, and intestines) are removed. This is the portion cut into individual meat cuts by the butcher.
Hanging weight is typically about 50% of live weight. So a $3/lb live weight price ≈ $6/lb hanging weight.
Cost of processing & packaging
Check whether the sale price includes processing and packaging (often called cut & wrap). You may be responsible for paying the butcher separately for their services.
Custom processing
When you buy a whole or half lamb, you'll usually get to choose how it's processed and packaged. The butcher will ask how many people you typically serve (to set how much meat goes in each package) and walk you through your options for individual cuts (see below). They may also offer a choice of packaging, like freezer paper vs. vacuum sealed.
Depending on how your lamb is processed (bone-in vs. boneless), your take-home yield will be 65–80% of the hanging weight.
Example: 140 lb live weight → 70 lb hanging weight → 45–56 lb take-home meat
Freezer space
You'll need about 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 35–40 lb of packaged meat, so the space you need depends on the size of the lamb you buy.
