Life span?

[Imissmygirls]

Age at culling has a whole lot to do with general philosophy of farming styles.
Smaller herds can baby their older animals much more and get more productivity out of them. Industrial commercial herds of hundreds and thousands ( yes, thousands) cull much more severely, and don't get me going on that thread!

Personally, I like a conservative approach if I can afford it. We have had to cull 4H animals for breeding problems when i would have LOVED to be able to afford to keep them another year and give them a chance again. I have bred registered cows naturally with whatever breed bull was available JUST to get a calf in them to keep them milking and give them another chance.
Unfortunately, I would think that $$ enters into the picture with backyard herds more often than larger herds. Unless you have unlimited funds or endless pasture, it costs $$ to feed and house an unproductive cow over a long winter.

Old wisdom dictated that a cow only paid for her raising in the first lactation or two. It wasn't until the third lactation that she started making money for you. By the 3rd lactation, she is 4-5 yrs old. You WANT an older cow to make money on her. But, she gets mastitis, the udders falls, her feet start hurting, she starts going cystic, stomach twists, she falls and breaks a leg, the lists goes on and on.

 

[kstaven]

There are some harsh realities to it. But one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is genetics and selective breeding to get that cow that does milk late in life without the physical problems. That is a big part of the game also.

 

[Imissmygirls]

I agree, kstaven, but you have to get them old in the first place to find the genetics.
Another difference in farm sizes is that often small farmers don't *push* their animals to the extent that large farms do. A smaller tie stall farmer knows which cow starts mastitis when fed too much grain and pulls hers back. In the freestall barn, she eats what she wants, possibly to her detriment. So, the same cow in tie stalls managed well may live much longer than in a freestall world.
You may have old cows, but I am sure you watch them closely and individually, and don't have a huge herd. ( I don't know anything about you, but if you have mostly old cows in a herd of 200, hats off to you!!!!) If you have under 50 head, I'll bet you have a higher percentage of old gals.
One of the reasons bull studs focus on type (conformation) so much is the theory that physically correct animals DO live longer. Good feet and legs contribute to longevity. Good udders with strong attachments don't end up dragging on the ground at age 7.
Theoretically, the average age of cows should be extending in the dairy world because of artifical insemination spreading great genetics around the world. It's really hard to find an ugly Holstein these days. Maybe not pretty, but definitely not ugly. I am sure wyne is old enough to recall ugly cows) ( me too)
So, are they living longer? I have no facts, but I am guessing no, because management of large herds stresses younger animals.
Opinions?

FWIW, the oldest 4H cow we had was an Ayrshire who was about 8 when we had to ship her. Great cow-- loved her to death but the udder was dragging low and she was in a small herd. She was a great looking gal but short, and short cows have their udder closer to the ground sooner! I could make a list of the great looking gals that went to an early demise for such a variety of uncontrollable reasons your head would spin.
I'll get off the soapbox now

 

[AF Texas Longhorn Ranch]

depends on the breed and how well she was cared for, a rancher in my area has a 19 year longhorn cow that is still fertile and can still have calves, altough it took a few heat cycles to settle. Personally, I wouldn't let mine calf after 15 due to possible complications and low birth weights.