Animal Gestation Periods — Complete Reference Chart
A complete reference table of gestation periods for farm and companion animals. Click any calculator link to open the full due date calculator for that species.
Click column headers to sort ↕
| Normal Range | Calculator | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🐇 Rabbit | 31 | 28–34 days | ~1.0 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐕 Dog | 63 | 58–68 days | ~2.1 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐱 Cat | 65 | 60–70 days | ~2.1 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐷 Pig | 114 | 112–116 days | ~3.8 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐑 Sheep | 147 | 142–152 days | ~4.8 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐐 Goat | 150 | 145–155 days | ~4.9 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐄 Cattle & Cow | 283 | 279–292 days | ~9.3 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🐴 Horse | 336 | 320–362 days | ~11.1 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🦙 Llama | 350 | 330–365 days | ~11.5 months | Open Calculator → |
| 🫏 Donkey | 365 | 348–395 days | ~12.0 months | Open Calculator → |
Open a Gestation Calculator
Understanding Gestation Periods
A gestation period is the time between fertilization and birth — the duration of pregnancy. Gestation lengths vary enormously across the animal kingdom, from as few as 16 days in hamsters to 22 months in elephants. Among common domestic animals, the range spans from rabbits at 31 days to horses at 336 days.
Gestation length is influenced by several factors: species body size (larger animals generally gestate longer), litter size (animals with larger litters often have shorter gestation), the maturity required at birth (precocial animals born able to walk require longer gestation than altricial species), and breed or genetic variation within a species.
For livestock producers and pet breeders, knowing the gestation period is essential for planning calving or whelping supplies, scheduling veterinary checkups, managing nutrition in late pregnancy, and allocating labor during birthing season. Our calculators make it easy to enter a specific breeding date and get the exact expected due date instantly.
Breed-Specific Gestation Data
The averages in the table above represent species-wide averages. Individual breeds within a species can differ:
- 🐄 Cattle: Angus (281 days) vs. Brahman (292 days)
- 🐐 Goats: Nigerian Dwarf (145 days) vs. most breeds (148–152 days)
- 🐷 Pigs: Most breeds are remarkably consistent at 113–115 days
- 🐕 Dogs: Gestation is consistent at ~63 days from ovulation across all breeds
- 🐱 Cats: Most breeds average 65 days; Bengal cats may be slightly shorter (64 days) and Maine Coon slightly longer (66 days)
- 🐑 Sheep: Katahdin (145 days) vs. Merino (150 days)
- 🐴 Horses: Miniature Horse (320 days) vs. Draft Horse (342 days)
- 🫏 Donkeys: Miniature Donkey (360 days) vs. Mammoth Donkey (370 days)
Open a specific calculator above to use breed-adjusted gestation estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
- Penn State Extension — Animal reproduction guides
- University of Minnesota Extension — Livestock gestation references
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Reproductive data by species