Tina
Most of my charlois bulls have been good up to 8 or 9 years old. My limousin bulls have turned mean or rambunctious at about 6 years old. Most people will not buy a 6 year old bull out of the sale barn because at that age, he is ready for temper problems or fence crossing problems when he moves to a new place. Sometimes, people will buy a 6 year old bull at private treaty. Most people want a young bull that will be satisfied to stay with a herd of cows, instead of an older one that wants to show his dominance all over the countryside. That is the reason most all 5 year old and up bulls go to slaughter. I have white parks cows that have steadily produced calves past 15 years old. My angus and hereford crosses havent lasted that long, but 10-12 years is very reasonable to expect. Alot depends on the geography, weather extremes and feed availability over the cow's lifetime.
The sales barns around here tag the cows with an age after checking their mouths. They count the years up to 7 years old and after that they are "Short Solid", which means they have a full set of teeth but they are over 7 years old and the next is "Broken Mouth" which means they have lost at least one tooth and they are older. In most times, there is a big drop off in price between the 7 years old and short solids. Once a cow gets over 5 or 6, she is considered old for the shippers. Once she gets broken mouth, she is considered old by everybody.
