How many years a cow will live largely depends on the conditions of detention, as well as its breed. Most of the cows that live on the farm live between 12 and 17 years. In her entire life, a cow is able to give about 12 calving, but when she reaches 15 years old, she can no longer give birth to calves and give milk in the same volumes. Often these cattle go for meat, as it becomes simply unprofitable to keep them.
The life expectancy of cows is 12-17 years
Stages of a cow’s life and its duration
Before birth, the animal enters the stage of embryonic development, and after that it goes postembryonic. The life of any creature begins with a zygote, after which the calf itself is born, at this stage three stages of development can be distinguished:
- Embryo, which lasts 34 days;
- The prefetal stage lasts 24 days;
- and ends with a fruitful period.
Throughout this period of time, the cow must be well fed and well looked after, as well as provide her with a quality and long rest before calving.
The period of birth is a crucial moment in the life of an animal. Like humans, a calf experiences stress after birth, as its connection with its mother is interrupted, now it enters into an independent life. In the first days after birth, he needs colostrum milk, during this period of life this food is the only and very important for him.
Then comes the milk period, most often it lasts from 3 to 5 months. This period of time, as well as all subsequent ones, cause great changes in the functions of the calf’s body, as well as in the structure of its body.
Dairy smoothly flows into puberty, at this time the baby begins to grow quickly and confidently, and grow stronger: the mammary gland develops, other processes in the body of the “teenager” begin to occur faster.
Puberty
Then maturity comes and during this period all the functions of the cow’s body flourish: the maximum amount of milk, the metabolism works perfectly, a change in the chemical composition of the body, and so on. It is at this time that the cow will be able to bring healthy offspring and give the largest amount of milk.
Factors affecting longevity
There are only a few main factors that can affect the life expectancy of cows:
- Naturally, much depends on the breed and type of horned creature.
- Weather conditions, the region in which cattle live.
- The climate of the region.
- Nutrition, healthy supplements.
- The way a person treats his animals, how he takes care of cows and what conditions he provides for them to live.
The fifth point, which also includes the last two, are the most important for those who would like to extend the life of their wards. This type of animal can be recognized as truly demanding, with regard to the attitude of the farmer towards them. It is on this that not only the life expectancy of cows, but also their productivity will depend.
It is very important to monitor the health of cattle, treat them and the room where they are located from parasites in time and do all the necessary vaccinations, in case of signs of illness, call a veterinarian and carry out timely treatment. Cleaning the barn should be carried out systematically, this is what will help the horned live up to 20 years, bring milk with excellent taste.
In order to choose the right nutrition system, you need to do some research and take tests from it. Friendship with a veterinarian is a good decision and a great tactic for maintaining the quality of life of your livestock.
Friendship with a veterinarian is a good decision
In the modern world, farmers talk little about life expectancy, more often you can hear such a thing as the “age of effective productivity” of a cow, this is the age at which it can produce offspring and milk, on average, this period takes about 15 years. Then the cattle is fattened and used for meat.
How to determine the age of a cow or a bull?
You can determine the age of the animal by the teeth, but this can be done up to the age of ten years of the cow. When the animal is older, it will be difficult to do it in this way. Milk teeth do not change immediately in a young individual, the incisors come first at the age of up to 1,6 years, after which the internal ones change by 2,2 years, the outer middle teeth at the age of 2 to 2,1 years, but the edges can be completely replaced in age and 3,5 years. This order will not change with any type of cow and does not depend on her kind.
Important! Remember that after 5 years, the teeth of a cow or bull begin to slowly wear out.
But if you are not sure that you can determine the age of an animal with the help of teeth, then you can turn your attention to the condition of its horns.
After a cow calves, a ring appears on her horns. Consider them carefully, as they may be barely noticeable. It is especially convenient to calculate the age if the cow’s age at the first birth is known. Often this falls on the age category from 2,5 to 3 years.
cow horns
Conclusion
The life of a cow, like a person, depends on external factors: food, drink, good conditions. This is the only way to achieve maximum results: to invest in the care of cattle, which will quickly return the same coin to you – this is an excellent milk production and strong healthy offspring. Do not expect a long life and good performance from an animal if you do not pay due attention to it, poorly maintain, feed, do not vaccinate and do not go to the veterinarian, because of this, the average life expectancy of a cow on a farm will become much less.
