Breeding Guides and Gestation Calendars
The calculators on this site answer one narrow question: given a breeding date, when is the animal due? These guides cover everything around that date. They explain when to breed so young arrive at the right time of year, how long gestation or incubation runs for each species, what to check between service and birth, and how to recognise that an animal is pregnant in the first place.
Each guide is written for people who actually manage animals, from dairy and beef producers and sheep flocks to smallholders, horse owners and pet breeders. They use the same gestation figures as the calculators, so a date worked out in a guide matches the date a calculator gives you, and every guide links to the tools that do the arithmetic.
Which breeding guide do you need?
- Breeding planning · 7 min readAnimal Breeding Calendar: Gestation Lengths and Due Dates by SpeciesThe animal breeding calendar puts the two numbers every breeder needs side by side: how often each species comes into season, and how long pregnancy or incubation lasts. It covers cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits and poultry in one table. It also walks through turning a mating date into a due date, and working backwards from the month you want young on the ground.
- Cattle · 8 min readCattle Breeding Calendar: From Service Date to Calving DateThe cattle breeding calendar is built around the 21-day oestrous cycle and the 283-day average gestation. It explains how to plan a calving season, when to put the bull in or book AI, and when to pregnancy-check. It also covers the checks and nutrition changes between service and calving so cows calve in good condition.
- Sheep · 7 min readSheep Breeding Calendar: Tupping Dates, Cycles and Lambing DatesThe sheep breeding calendar starts from the lambing month you want and counts back roughly 147 days to the tupping date. It covers raddling rams, the 17-day ewe cycle, scanning dates and flushing. It lists the jobs to do between tupping and lambing so the flock is ready when the first lambs arrive.
- Pregnancy signsHow to Tell if Your Animal Is Pregnant: Early Signs & SymptomsThis guide lists the first physical and behavioural signs of pregnancy in dogs, cats, cattle, goats, horses and rabbits, and roughly when each one appears. It explains which signs are reliable and which are easily confused with a false pregnancy. It also covers when a vet can confirm pregnancy by palpation, ultrasound or a blood test.
Where are the species gestation guides?
Every species with a calculator also has its own gestation period page covering stages, signs of pregnancy, signs of approaching birth, a printable breeding-date chart and a list of sources. Find them grouped by type on the livestock, pet, rodent and wild animal hubs, or in the full calculator index. To compare every species at once, use the animal gestation chart.