Farm guides

Short, straight answers to common homestead questions, each paired with a free calculator.

How Long Is a Goat Pregnant? Goat Gestation ExplainedGoats are pregnant for about 150 days (145–155). Gestation by breed, a month-by-month timeline, signs of kidding and how…How Long Are Cows Pregnant? Cattle Gestation by BreedCows are pregnant for about 283 days, just over 9 months. See gestation length by breed, what shortens or lengthens it, …How Many Bales of Hay Does a Horse Need for Winter?A 1,000 lb horse eats about 20 lb of hay a day, roughly 70 small square bales over a 5-month winter. How to work out hay…How Much Meat Do You Get From a Half Cow?A half cow usually gives about 200–250 lb of packaged beef. Live weight vs hanging weight vs take-home meat explained, w…How Long Do Chicken Eggs Take to Hatch? Day-by-Day GuideChicken eggs hatch in about 21 days at 99.5°F. A day-by-day incubation timeline with candling, lockdown and humidity, pl…How Long Do Duck Eggs Take to Hatch? Pekin and Muscovy TimelinesPekin duck eggs hatch in about 28 days and Muscovy eggs in up to 35. Lockdown day, humidity changes and candling dates f…How Long Do Quail Eggs Take to Hatch? Coturnix TimelineCoturnix quail eggs hatch in 17 to 18 days. Lockdown on day 14, candling dates and the short timeline you need to plan a…How Long Is a Sheep Pregnant? Ewe Gestation in Days and MonthsA ewe is pregnant for about 147 days, close to 5 months. Gestation by breed, what moves the date, scanning and feeding w…How Long Is a Pig Pregnant? The 3-3-3 Rule ExplainedA pig (sow) is pregnant for about 114 days, remembered as the 3-3-3 rule: 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days. How to work out …How Long Is a Horse Pregnant? Mare Gestation in Days and MonthsA mare is pregnant for about 340 days, roughly 11 months, with a normal range of 320-370 days. Month-by-month timeline, …How Long Is a Rabbit Pregnant? Doe Gestation ExplainedA rabbit doe is pregnant for about 31 days, one of the shortest gestations of any farm animal. Timeline, nest-box timing…How Much Space Does a Chicken Need? Coop, Run & Roost SizesA standard chicken needs about 4 sq ft of coop floor and 10 sq ft of run. Space per bird for bantams and large breeds, r…How Much Does a Chicken Eat per Day? Feed Amounts & CostsA laying hen eats about 1/4 lb (4 oz) of feed a day, about 7.6 lb a month. Daily feed for chicks, pullets, bantams and r…How Many Acres per Cow? Stocking Rates by Pasture TypeOne cow needs about 1.5–3 acres of good pasture for a 6-month grazing season, and 10–20+ acres of dry range. Acres per c…How Many Goats per Acre? Stocking Rates for Pasture & BrushGood pasture carries about 2–4 goats per acre for a 6-month grazing season, and fewer on dry or poor ground. Goats per a…How to Weigh a Goat Without a Scale (Tape Method & Chart)Measure heart girth and body length in inches, then use girth × girth × length ÷ 300 to get a goat's weight in pounds. S…How Much Hay Does a Cow Eat per Day? (By Weight, With Waste)A cow eats about 2.5% of her body weight in hay a day: about 30 lb for a 1,200 lb cow. Daily hay by cow weight, how long…

Answers first, then the math

Most farm questions have a number at the end of them: how long she's pregnant, how many bales to buy, how much meat comes back from the butcher, what day the eggs hatch. These guides give that number in the first two lines, then explain what moves it — breed, body weight, weather, waste, how the animal is fed — and hand you the calculator to run your own figures.

Every number here comes from typical university extension and breed-association guidance, and matches the calculators on this site, so a guide and a tool never tell you two different things. Where a range is normal, we print the range rather than pretending a single day or pound is exact. For anything to do with an animal's health, medication or a dose, talk to your vet: those pages don't exist here on purpose.