How Much Does A Cow Weigh In Kg

The weight of a cow is usually measured in either pounds or kilograms depending on where in the world you are. A cow can vary in weight depending on her breed, if she is pregnant or not, well fed or malnourished, most dairy cows i know of is between 600 and 700 kg or about 1200–1500 pounds in weight with some exceptions. Some are smaller and leaner than others while there also are cows which are larger, holsteins tend to be rather on the huge side when it comes to dairy cows, and beef cattle can be even heavier, in special breeds like Limousin, Charolais and Hereford but also here variations are normal. So if one does prefer grams then an average dairy cow where i live would be in the range of 650 000 grams and up. One kilo is 1000 grams. A pound is about half of that again.

Beef cattle, at the time of slaughter, can weigh anywhere from about five hundred pounds to well over a ton. Depending on the breed of cow, there are a lot of different beef breeds. The gender also makes a huge difference. Whether it’s a steer (a castrated male), a heifer (a younger female who has never given birth), or much less likely a bull (a fully functional male with his Rocky Mountain oysters still attached) or a cow (an older female that has reproduced)

The average cow weighs anywhere from 900 to 1,600 pounds depending on age, breed and genetics. The heaviest cow breeds can weigh over 3,000 pounds. Full grown dairy cows weigh about 1,500 pounds. Full grown beef cattle average 1350 pounds. Newborn calves weigh in around 75 to 85 pounds. 

The More It Eats, The More It Weighs

Olson, talking about the management, said that we have observed the increase in the size of cows and we prefer to stay in the range of 1,200 to 1,400 lbs. This is where management plays an essential role. A producer decides where his animals will stand within this range.

In managing the weight of a cow, knowing its actual size is a big deal, according to Olson. Most ranchers do not have access to a sale, but getting a mature cow weight should be a rancher’s primary goal. Another way to measure the size is by noting cull-cow weights and making adjustments to that weight based on how those cows compared to an average of the herd.

According to Olson, the bigger the cow, the more nutrients it needs. The requirement of nutrients does not increase in direct proportion to the cow’s size, and this is a good thing. These requirements go up at ¾ powers ratio, or 75 percent and not one to one. So a 1,400 lb cow requires more than 11 percent maintenance energy as compared to a 1,200 lb cow, regardless of the fact that it is about 16 percent heavier.

How Much Does A Cow Weigh?

Beef cattle (raised for meat production primarily) and dairy cattle (raised for milk primarily) typically weigh differently, but even among the beef or dairy breeds, we have huge differences.

I’ve used data from research and calculations on The Pennsylvania State University, North Dakota State University, and Wikipedia itself to get the most accurate and recent data about cow weights (by age and by gender).

I’ve used this data to put together tables of weights for heifers (female calves) by month, and some data on the major breeds in the US and their average weights.

Herders always weigh a cow at weaning, which is the time when a calf is separated from the mother. Ideally, this is at 7-8 months old. Cows continue gaining weight until they reach 7 years of age, then they slowly lose weight until they leave the herd.

The weight of a cow depends mostly on these factors:

  • age
  • breed
  • location
  • nutritional history
  • individual traits

How Much Does A Beef Cow Weigh?

A typical beef cow such as Angus weighs around 1210 lbs (550kb) for a mature female, and around 1870 lbs (850 kg) for bulls (on average). For a typical herd, this is not a very useful answer because the herd may consist of a variety of cows by age and breed.

Cow weight will greatly vary based on many factors.

Angus beef cow will be about 450-550 pounds when 6 months old, while a mature heifer could weigh anywhere between 800 and 1400 pounds. Heifer growth is usually compared to breed standards to determine normal progress.

Here is a list of the average weight of beef cows by breed (female):

  • Angus – 1,210 pounds (550 kg)
  • Hereford – 1,200 pounds (544 kg)
  • Limousin – 1,650 pounds (750 kg)
  • Brahman – 1,320 pounds (600 kg)
  • Simmental – 1,300 pounds (590 kg)
  • Shorthorn – 1,760 pounds (800 kg)

How Much Does A Dairy Cow Weigh?

Depending on the breed, a full mature Holstein dairy cow weighs around 1,500 lbs (700 kg) on average, a mature Ayrshire weighs around 990 to 1,320 lbs, while the Jersey breed (being among the smallest of the dairy breeds) weighs around 900 lbs (410kg) on average.

These are all (naturally) female cow weight examples, while the males usually weigh more.

Here is a list of the average weights of dairy cows by breed – female:

  • Holstein-Friesian – 1,600 pounds (725 kg)
  • Ayrshire – 1,150 pounds (522 kg)
  • Jersey – 900 pounds (408 kg)
  • Brown Swiss – 1,350 pounds (612 kg)
  • Guernsey – 1,050 pounds (476 kg)
  • Dairy Shorthorn – 1,450 pounds (658 kg)

How Much Does A Calf Weigh?

A calf is a cow or bull that is not yet a year old. Because these cows are so young, they are much smaller and weigh less than their adult counterparts.

At birth, most calves weigh around 82 pounds. Within the first month of life, you can expect bull calves to gain a little less than 80 pounds. Heifers put on a little less weight but still put on quite a bit during the same amount of time. As they continue to grow, they put on more and more weight. Calves can end up gaining hundreds of pounds within the first year of life.

The calf breed can largely impact how much the calf weighs upon birth and how much they put on during the first year of life. For example, a Jersey calf may weigh as little as 93 pounds during its first month in life, while a Brown Swiss can weigh as much as 163 pounds.

What Is The Average Weight Of A Cow At Slaughter?

According to Ken Olson, the cattle today at slaughter (heifers and steers) are about 14 percent larger as compared to the cattle in 1990. As they gain weight faster, spend more days on feed, and are more efficient.

What Is The Average Hanging Weight Of A Cow?

An average cow weights around/about 1,200 lbs and it has a hanging hot carcass weight of about 750 pounds.

What Is The Average Weight Of A Beef Cow?

A steer weighing around 1,000 lbs i.e. 450 kg provides a carcass that weighs around 615 lbs i.e. 280 kg after the head, blood, feet, guts, skin, and offal are removed from it. It is then hanged in a cold room for one – four weeks and during this time it loses some more weight as the waster dries out from the meat. After this whole process, the carcass will weigh around 430 lb i.e. 200 kg.

What Is The Average Hanging Weight Of A Cow?

An average cow weighs around 1,200 lbs. It has an (HCW) hanging hot carcass weight of around 750 pounds.

How Much Meat Do You Get From a Cow?

According to South Dakota State University Extension, the expected yield for retail cuts from beef carcasses ranges from 55% to 75%, depending on the fatness, muscling of the animal, and the type of cuts you produce. The carcass weight is usually between 600 and 900 pounds.

Steaks usually come from a steer (castrated male) or a heifer (female that hasn’t been bred), while meat from cows is usually ground up into processed meats.

The US beef industry is focused mostly on producing steers for meat consumption.

Dairy cows are better utilized in producing milk, and because of their inability to dress out nicely (give large quantities of quality meat), the cow is graded low by the USDA and normally goes to auction and slaughter for processed meat.

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