Determining how many people a 60 pound hog can feed requires looking at a few key factors like the amount of usable meat on the hog, how much meat each person eats per meal, and how many meals you want to get out of the hog.
Amount of Usable Meat on a Hog
On average, you can expect a 60 pound hog to yield about 35-40 pounds of usable meat. This usable meat accounts for loss during processing and parts of the animal that are not typically eaten like bones, skin, and fat.
According to the University of Illinois Extension, the following are approximate yields for different cuts of pork from a hog:
- Ham/leg – 26% of live weight
- Loin/chops – 15% of live weight
- Shoulder/butt – 18% of live weight
- Spareribs – 5% of live weight
- Belly/bacon – 10% of live weight
- Picnic/arm – 7% of live weight
- Feet/neck bones – 4% of live weight
- Fat – 5% of live weight
- Loss – 10% of live weight
So for a 60 lb hog, you would get approximately:
- 15.6 lbs ham
- 9 lbs loin
- 10.8 lbs shoulder
- 3 lbs spareribs
- 6 lbs belly
- 4.2 lbs picnic
- 2.4 lbs feet/bones
- 3 lbs fat
- 6 lbs loss
This totals up to about 60 lbs of hog weight, with approximately 35-40 lbs being usable meat for consumption.
Meat Consumption Per Meal
The amount of meat a person eats per meal can vary based on age, gender, activity level, and personal preferences. Here are some general guidelines for meat consumption per meal:
- Women – 3-4 oz per meal
- Men – 5-6 oz per meal
- Teen boys – 5-7 oz per meal
- Small children – 2-3 oz per meal
On average, about 4-5 oz per person is needed for a standard serving size of meat at a meal. This equates to between 0.25 – 0.3 lbs of meat per person per meal.
Number of Meals
The number of meals you want to get out of a hog also affects how many people it can feed. You may want to stretch the meals out across many days or weeks, or use it all for a large gathering on a single occasion.
Here are some common scenarios:
- Daily family meals – 10-14 meals
- Weekly family meals – 4-5 meals
- Large gathering – 1-2 meals
Putting It All Together
Using the average amount of usable meat from a 60 lb hog along with typical meat consumption estimates per meal, we can calculate the number of people that can be fed in different scenarios.
Assuming 40 lbs usable meat from a 60 lb hog:
| Scenario | Meals | Meat/Meal | Total Meat | People Fed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily family meals | 14 | 5 oz per person | 14 * 0.3125 lbs = 4.375 lbs | 40 lbs / 4.375 lbs = 9 people |
| Weekly family meals | 5 | 5 oz per person | 5 * 0.3125 lbs = 1.5625 lbs | 40 lbs / 1.5625 lbs = 25 people |
| Large gathering | 2 | 5 oz per person | 2 * 0.3125 lbs = 0.625 lbs | 40 lbs / 0.625 lbs = 64 people |
Conclusion
Based on average meat yields and consumption estimates, a 60 pound hog can provide food for:
- 9 people if used for 2 weeks of daily family meals
- 25 people if used for 1 week of family meals
- 64 people at a large gathering or event
Of course, the actual number of people fed can vary based on specific circumstances like meat yield for that hog, appetites of the people eating, and your goals for meals and leftovers. But on average under typical conditions, a 60 pound hog can provide solid nutrition for several weeks for a small family or a single large celebratory event for a bigger crowd.