Due dates on a small farm
Every species carries for a different length of time, and the difference matters. A rabbit kindles in about 31 days, a pig farrows in 114, a goat kids around 150, a ewe lambs near 147, a cow calves at about 283, and a mare foals near 340. Miss the date by a week on a goat and you miss the kidding pen; miss it on a mare and you miss the foaling watch entirely.
Each calculator here takes the breeding date and returns the due date, the normal window around it, and the checks worth doing along the way: when to watch for a return to heat, when a vet can confirm the pregnancy, when to dry off a dairy animal, and when to set up for birth. You can send those dates to your phone's calendar or print them for the barn wall.
Which one do you need?
- One bred animal: use its species calculator. It adjusts for breed, so a Nigerian Dwarf doe and a Boer doe get different dates, and so do a Holstein and a Brahman.
- A whole group bred on pasture: enter the day the male went in and the day he came out. You get the full kidding, lambing or calving window instead of a single date.
- Several animals at once: the breeding calendar lists every animal sorted by due date on one printable page.
- She hasn't been bred yet: the heat cycle calculator predicts her next heats so you can plan the breeding.
Common questions
Are these gestation lengths exact?
They're averages. Healthy animals are born a few days either side, and a mare can be two weeks late and still be normal. Use the window, not just the date.
Can I use them if I don't know the exact breeding date?
Enter the first and last day the male was with the female. You'll get the full window the birth should fall in.
Do they work for crossbred animals?
Yes. Pick the sire's breed, since it has the stronger effect on gestation length, or use the average for the species.