Cow Gestation Period
An average, cow gestation period (length of cow pregnancy) lasts about 283 days, however, this period varies based on the breed of the cow and the sex of the calf. That's about 9 months.
Keep reading to learn more about cow gestation periods and download our free cow gestation period table to simplify estimating calving dates.
If you're breeding cattle it's important to know when the calves might come. Depending on the age of the cow, the breed of cattle, how healthy the cow is, the sire, and other considerations this will change the date of the birth.
Often, cattle operations will calculate the cow's due date by adding 283 days to the breeding date. If you have a rough guess when that was you can count back. If you need a gestation calculator you're in luck, you can find that below.
Average Cow Gestation Period
While the average cow gestation period is 283 days, calving for older and larger cows usually happens 10 days later. Smaller and younger cow's pregnancies may last 10 days less. So, the typical gestation period for cattle ranges from 279 to 287 days (up to 291 for Brahman cattle).
Check out the gestation table for cattle below to estimate your cow's due date based on their date of service.
Pregnancy management starts by keeping accurate cattle records to know when the cow was exposed to the bull. Then as the date gets closer make sure you're prepared for calving by keeping a close eye on your herd, and needed supplies close at hand.
You can also use our Free Cow Gestation Calculator to estimate for you or print this downloadable cattle gestation period table to help you find the gestation period for your cows.
Cow Gestation Period Table
Based on 283 day cow gestation period
Digital Cattle Record-Keeping: Farmbrite makes it easy to add and store breeding and pregnancy data in a digital format, ready to access on your phone, tablet, or desktop.
Automate Your Cattle Calculations: Farmbrite cattle management software will automatically calculate a cow's expected calving dates based on her breeding dates.
Upload Your RFIDs: Farmbrite integrates with RFID tags or EID tags and wands to track chute-side data collection.
Reporting and Analysis: Farmbrite generates reports and helps you analyze your herd based on the data. This helps ranchers identify trends and make informed decisions about their cattle operations.
Inventory, Financials, Tasks, and More Farmbrite helps cattle ranches keep track of all their data in one place.
Thanks so much for taking a look at our article about cow gestation periods. We hope this helps make this process easier for you. Below we've listed some other free resources to check out.
If you're looking for help to keep track of how many days your cows are pregnant, how long they've been grazing in a field, ADG (cattle average daily gains) and so much more, take a look at Farmbrite's cattle tracking app. We help your cattle herd thrive!