How to read the sheep gestation table
Say a ewe was bred on November 10. Go to the Nov column, then down to row 10: at 147 days the cell reads Apr 6. That’s her due date. She can lamb any time from about five days before to five days after.
Pick your year before you print, because a leap day in February shifts every lambing date after it by one day. For one ewe it’s quicker to use the sheep gestation calculator, which also gives the lambing window and the dates to scan and vaccinate.
Printing for the whole flock? Highlight each ram-in date in the table. Everything from that cell down to 34 days later is your lambing season.
Gestation table for sheep, by month
If you only need the rough picture, this shorter gestation table for sheep shows the lambing date for ewes bred on the 1st and the 15th of each month at 147 days:
| Ram in… | Bred on the 1st → lambs | Bred on the 15th → lambs | Lambing month |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | May 28 | Jun 11 | June |
| February | Jun 28 | Jul 12 | July |
| March | Jul 26 | Aug 9 | August |
| April | Aug 26 | Sep 9 | September |
| May | Sep 25 | Oct 9 | October |
| June | Oct 26 | Nov 9 | November |
| July | Nov 25 | Dec 9 | December |
| August | Dec 26 | Jan 9 | January |
| September | Jan 26 | Feb 9 | February |
| October | Feb 25 | Mar 11 | March |
| November | Mar 28 | Apr 11 | April |
| December | Apr 27 | May 11 | May |
Which number of days should I use?
147 days is the standard figure used by most extension services and breed societies, and it’s right for most crossbreds. If you run one breed, use its typical length from the table below. Best of all, if you have a few years of flock records, use your own average: type it into the box above.
| Breed | Type | Average gestation | Normal range | Bred Oct 1 → lambs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most breeds | — | 147 days | 142–152 | Feb 25 |
| Finnsheep | Prolific | 144 days | 139–149 | Feb 22 |
| Romanov | Prolific | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Suffolk | Meat | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Hampshire | Meat | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Dorset | Meat | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Southdown / Babydoll | Meat | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Dorper / White Dorper | Hair | 145 days | 140–150 | Feb 23 |
| Katahdin | Hair | 146 days | 141–151 | Feb 24 |
| Texel | Meat | 147 days | 142–152 | Feb 25 |
| Cheviot | Dual | 147 days | 142–152 | Feb 25 |
| Romney | Wool | 148 days | 143–153 | Feb 26 |
| Rambouillet | Fine wool | 149 days | 144–154 | Feb 27 |
| Merino | Fine wool | 150 days | 145–155 | Feb 28 |
Sheep gestation table questions
What is a 147-day gestation table?
It’s a lookup chart that adds 147 days, the average sheep pregnancy, to every day of the year. It saves you counting days on a calendar for each ewe.
Is there a 145-day sheep gestation table?
Yes. Pick a 145-day breed (Suffolk, Dorset, Dorper, Hampshire) in the breed box, or type 145 into “Or type your own days”. The whole table switches to 145 days and you can print it.
Can I print the gestation table?
Yes. Use the Print button: the page prints just the table, without the menus. Landscape fits best.