Amazingly, it’s not easy that natural life expectancy of so-called farm animals such as chickens, geese, turkeys, pigs, cattle, goats or sheep find out. You will not find anything on this subject in agricultural textbooks or in specialist journals.
This is shocking because it shows that the natural life expectancy of animals is irrelevant in agriculture. The age at slaughter, on the other hand, can be found in many textbooks and agricultural leaflets. It is important to to raise awareness of the potential lifespan of livestock.
Comparing the average useful life of the animals with theirs natural life expectancy, one finds a large discrepancy – and this applies to all livestock species. If the animals were not slaughtered – or if they died prematurely as a result of intensive animal husbandry – they could live many times longer.
provides an overview of the average usage time and the natural life expectancy of chickens, pigs, cattle and other livestock. Form your own judgement!