Livestock Gestation Chart

Livestock gestation ranges from 114 days in pigs to about 395 days in camels. Cows carry a calf for roughly 283 days, horses for 340, sheep for 147, goats for 150 and alpacas for 345. Use the table to compare species, then open a species page for a due date calculator and a full milestone timeline.

Livestock Gestation Chart: average, minimum and maximum gestation length by species
Species	Average days	Range	Months	Young
Pig	114	112–116	3.7 months	8-12 piglets
Sheep	147	144–152	4.8 months	1-2 lambs
Goat	150	145–155	4.9 months	1-3 kids
Cow	283	279–292	9.3 months	1 calf
Water buffalo	310	300–320	10.2 months	1 calf
Horse	340	320–370	11.2 months	1 foal
Alpaca	345	335–355	11.3 months	1 cria
Llama	350	330–365	11.5 months	1 cria
Donkey	365	340–390	12.0 months	1 foal
Camel	395	390–410	13.0 months	1 calf

What these animals have in common

Farmed species share a planning problem: a single service date has to drive vaccination, feeding, housing and labour weeks or months later. Most livestock carry a single large offspring that must stand and suckle within hours of birth, which is why gestation is long relative to body size and why the last third of pregnancy accounts for the bulk of fetal growth. Feed demand rises sharply in that final period, so body condition is built before birth rather than after it. Multiple births shorten gestation by several days and raise the risk of a difficult delivery, and heat stress, poor nutrition and advanced maternal age each shift the date. Across every species here the practical advice is identical: record the service date, treat the calculated date as a midpoint, and have a clean, well-bedded birthing area ready a week before the earliest date in the normal range.

Species pages in this group

Frequently asked questions

Which livestock species has the longest gestation?

The camel at about 395 days, followed by the donkey at 365 days, llamas at 350, alpacas at 345 and horses at 340. Cattle are considerably shorter at 283 days.

Which farm animal has the shortest gestation?

The pig, at about 114 days, often remembered as three months, three weeks and three days. Sheep and goats follow at roughly 147 and 150 days.

Does litter size change the due date in livestock?

Yes. Ewes carrying twins or triplets and cows carrying twins usually give birth several days early, because the uterus reaches capacity sooner and labour starts earlier.

How accurate are these livestock gestation figures?

They are breed averages. Most animals give birth within a few days of the calculated date, but each species has a normal window of a week or more, so prepare for the earliest date.

Figures are averages from published data. Individual animals vary, and results are for planning rather than veterinary advice.