How to use the goat gestation chart
Each block is one breeding month. Find the day the doe was bred in the left column. The date in the right column is when she should kid, 150 days later. A line marks where the kidding dates move into a new month.
For one doe at a time, with her pregnancy check, CD&T booster and kidding kit dates, use the goat gestation calculator. It also turns the buck's in and out dates into a kidding calendar by 21-day heat cycle.
Why 150 days
The Merck Veterinary Manual puts goat gestation at 150 days on average, and the American Boer Goat Association uses the same figure. Penn State gives 145 to 155 days, which is why the chart's typical range runs 5 days either side. The breed figures below all fall inside that range. Purdue Extension gives 148 to 152.
| Breed | Gestation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Goats in general | 150 days on average | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Dairy goats | 145 to 155, average 149 | Penn State Extension |
| Boer | 150 on average | American Boer Goat Association |
| Nigerian Dwarf | 145 to 153 | Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association |
| Pygmy | 145 to 155 | WSU Extension 4-H guide |
If your own does always kid a day or two early or late, type their number into the gestation days box. The whole chart redraws.
Printing the chart
"Print this" prints only the chart: the first six months on page one and the last six on page two. It fits Letter or A4 paper. Pin it up in the barn next to the breeding record.
Leap years are handled. February 29 shows up only in a leap year, such as 2028, and every date is counted in whole days. A doe bred on October 15, 2027 is due Mon, Mar 13, 2028, a day earlier on the calendar than a doe bred the year before, because February 29, 2028 falls inside her pregnancy.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Breeding and Parturition of Goats
- Penn State Extension: Dairy Goat Production
- American Boer Goat Association: Gestation calculator
- Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association: Breed brochure (PDF)
- Washington State University Extension: Pygmy goat 4-H study guide (PDF)
- Purdue Extension: Understanding Agriculture: Goats