According to the Animal Diversity Web (usually a pretty reliable source) 15-20 years.
AB

Dr. Ariane Burke, Professeure Titulaire,

Universite de Montreal,

Departement d'Anthropologie,

C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-Ville

Montreal, QC

Canada H3C 3J7

tel: 514-343-6574



http://archeozoologie.anthro.umontreal.ca/

________________________________________
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of KIM DAMMERS [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: December 5, 2013 6:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Cattle longevity; age of Indian cows allowed to die naturally

While we're at it, can any-one give any figures for North American bisons' life-spans?

On Thursday, December 5, 2013 7:58 PM, Knowles <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Dear Zooarchers

Is there information about the age at death of Indian cows (zebu or humped cattle) allowed to live until their natural death?

In our cattle work, we used 20+ years as the upper limit of the oldest age class, using the information summarised in the section on longevity. I have continued collecting information about older cattle when I come across it - pasted below, for those interested. It would be good to add to this.

With regards
Gill Jones

Notes adding to the Longevity section, p.7-8, in
Jones, G. G. and Sadler, P. (2012). A review of published sources for age at death in cattle. Environmental Archaeology, 17, 1-10.
and see
Jones, G. G. and Sadler, P. (2012). Age at death in cattle: methods, older cattle and known-age reference material. Environmental Archaeology, 17, 11-28.

Bartosiewicz, L., Van Neer, W. and Lentacker, A. 1997. Draught cattle: their osteological identification and history. Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika, Annalen Zoölogische Wetenschappen 281, 135-7. (BNL 1997)
Bartosiewicz et al studied 18 Rumanian draught cattle. The age was estimated by the owners and ranged from 6 to 19 years, with a mean age of 10.5 years. There were 2 of 6 years, 3 of 8, 2 of 9, 2 of 10, 1 of 12, 2 of 14 and one of 19 years. Five were of unknown age.

BNL 1997, p.30. 'In Hungary , only draught oxen from extremely good stock were known to work until the age of 18-20 years (Almássy 1896, 139). The usual age at culling for single-purpose draught oxen from Transylvania was 12 - 15 years (Ruisz, 1895, 48; Battha 1935, 138). Local informants in the Burdeur Province of Turkey state that, until recently, draught oxen of up to 20 years were used. These animals were used for ploughing and the transport of harvested crops. They were allowed to rest during the season when work on the field was minimal.'

BNL 1997,  p.96 …'a distant parallel recorded in Southeast Asia . Water buffaloes used in rice cultivation are castrated between the age of 2 and 3 years and are harnessed only one or two years later. This guarantees a period of 15 to 20 years of continuous traction work (Dunka 1987, 20).'

BNL 1997, p.98 The study of metacarpal shape includes measurements from primitive oxen of the Buša lineage, of up to 17 years old (Mennerich 1968, 21).


Baker J. and Brothwell D. 1980. Animal Diseases in Archaeology. London : Academic, 136.
Baker and Brothwell, when talking about oral pathology, comment that, 'Draught animals, those kept for wool, and any which were ritually protected may well have attained ages not usually see in farm animals today'.

Davis , S. J. M. 2002 British Agriculture: Texts for the Zoo-Archaeologist, Environmental Archaeology, 7, 47-60.
Davis quotes the 18th century author Lisle who says that ‘a cow calf would make beef at three years old, but steers at four or five years old, because they take longer to grow and therefore it is only profitable to fatten steers that are used for ploughing’.  He also quotes Culley (1807) who says that oxen are worked from three to six or seven years old and then fattened.  Both these authors suggest dual use: the training of the oxen for the plough, but then letting animals go for meat well before reaching a great age.

Zadoks, J. C. 2013 Crop Protection in Medieval Agriculture. Studies in pre-modern organic agriculture. Leiden : Sidestone Press, 66.
Zadoks quotes Hesiod’s instructions for ploughing, which includes the following regarding age of the oxen, ‘Acquire two oxen of about nine years old, old enough to avoid contesting in the furrow, and young enough to be strong draught animals’.


John Ford's last dairy cow was kept until it was15 years old, in 2006 (Grange Farm Shadwell, Leeds ) (Ford, p.c.).

Animal Pathology lecture Liverpool 11/04/1986, during comments after John Baker's talk, Terry O'Connor mentioned that, 'past communities kept their cattle longer than modern farming. Most cows are dead by 8 years now. One circus steer was 42.' The information about the circus steer probably came from Barbara Noddle or John Baker (O’Connor, p.c.).