Due Dates & Pregnancy Monitoring
Record a breeding and Herd Manager calculates the due date, the likely kidding window, and a countdown — then keeps them in front of you as the date approaches.
Due Dates Are Breed-Specific
Gestation isn't one number. Herd Manager uses the doe's breed:
| Breed group | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy | 148 days | 145–152 |
| Mini dairy crosses (Mini Nubian, Mini LaMancha, etc.) | 149 days | 145–153 |
| Standard dairy & meat breeds (Nubian, Alpine, Saanen, LaMancha, Boer, Kiko…) | 150 days | 148–155 |
A common mix-up: Nigerian Dwarfs are often described as "145-day" goats, but 145 is the early end of their range. The typical figure is about 148. A doe kidding at 148 isn't late.
Setting Your Own Gestation Length
If your lines consistently run early or late, override the target per breed in Settings → 🐐 Herd Preferences → Gestation length. Enter a number beside any breed in your herd and every new breeding uses it.
Two things worth knowing:
- It applies to new breedings only — existing due dates don't shift underneath you
- It moves the target date, not the whole window. Set 145 for Nigerian Dwarfs and you'll see a 145-day target inside the normal range
You can also edit the due date directly on any individual breeding record.
Pasture Breeding: A Window, Not a Date
If the buck ran with the does, there's no single breeding date — so a single due date would be false precision.
Enter when the buck went in and when he came out, and Herd Manager calculates the full span of possible kidding dates: earliest is buck-in plus the breed minimum, latest is buck-out plus the breed maximum. That's when to start watching and when to stop worrying.
Through the Pregnancy
The Breeding tab shows every pregnant doe with days remaining, the breeding date and buck, and a progress bar. Due dates flow onto your Calendar, and does that pass their window are flagged.
Recording a pregnancy check — ultrasound, palpation, or simply that she never returned to heat — updates her status from bred to confirmed pregnant.
Watch for udder development, ligament softening, and behavioral change. Herd Manager auto-generates pre-kidding tasks from the due date — CDT boosters and dry-off for milkers — so the calendar prompts you rather than your memory.