How to Feed Chickens in Stardew Valley

Ask any beginner Stardew Valley player about their first encounter with an animal, and most of them are going to say the name of our egg-laying, winged friends - chickens. They are so easily accessible in the game due to how cheap building a coop is and how valuable they are. In a farm simulation like Stardew Valley, it is necessary to establish an actively flowing source of income that only flourishes and grows and there is nothing better than selling eggs, making mayo and selling that. 

Chickens lay eggs, and they lay big eggs. The size depends on their status of happiness. Well-fed chickens are likely to be happier and lay better, bigger eggs, which you can then sell in the market. And they’re cute little birdies that enliven your farm. But the challenge lies in feeding them. In this article, we shall equip you with different ways in which you can feed chickens in Stardew Valley. 

Feeding Chickens in Stardew Valley

Feeding chickens can seem tricky, especially when you are just starting out. But it is very simple and the items that you need are abundant throughout the Stardew Valley. So, adorn those farmer pants because we are now ready to embrace the true agrarian in us. 

Firstly, let us see how to purchase chickens in the game. To unlock chickens, you must initally build a coop, which can hold up to four chickens. You can build one by talking to Robin, the carpenter, for 4,000 gold, 100 stone, and 300 wood. Once the coop is ready, you can purchase a chicken for 800 gold from Marnie. 

Note that the chicken will be a baby when you buy it and it will take three days to turn into an adult and only when it becomes an adult, it will lay eggs. In order to help the small bird mature, you need to feed it.

There are not one but two ways in which you can satisfy the hunger of the chickens and keep them happy all farming season. One way is to feed them grass and the other is to feed them hay. Both items are endlessly splurged throughout the farm, except in Winter.

Feeding Grass to Chickens

The grass is splendidly sprawled across the game. However, the one that we are looking at is supposed to be long, soft, and easily accessible, unlike the firm, short grass that is only accessible with a scythe. 

However, the catch is that the grass that we are looking at is wild grass. Therefore, players will have to risk letting their chickens wander outside the coop. To unlock the door to a coop, trainers should stand outside the building. Next to the entrance door, they’ll find a vertical door that can be opened with a right-click. This will allow the chickens to exit the building. Make sure that it’s not nighttime, winter or raining, as the chickens will not exit the coop. 

Feeding Hay to Chickens

The second option is to feed hay to the chickens. Hay can easily be purchased from Marnie’s ranch in exchange for grass harvested with a scythe. Another thing to keep in mind is that players will also require silos in order to make hay from grass. Silos can easily be made through Robin. 

Now that you have the hay, all you have to do is feed the chickens by placing the hay on the feeding trough at the very end of the coop. You can take some hay from the silos and leave the rest for the future. For a better and more automated experience, players can further progress in the game by upgrading the coop to Deluxe. The Deluxe Coup allows players to install an automatic hay feeder, making their job easier. 

These are two ways in which you can keep your chickens happy and well-fed, which will lead to a better produce. Happy farming!