In Stardew Valley, players need to feed their chickens hay, which can be bought or harvested from grass, in order for them to grow and produce eggs.

In Stardew Valley, players are given the opportunity to inherit their grandfather's farm, which includes the option to raise chickens. While players are initially only able to grow crops on their farm, they will soon be granted the option to expand their farm to include animals. Raising chickens will require players to pet and feed them daily if they want to maximize their friendship and the quality of goods produced by the chickens.

To unlock chickens, players must build a coop, which can hold up to four chickens, from Robin for 4,000 gold, 100 stone, and 300 wood. Once the coop is constructed, players will be able to purchase a chicken for 800 gold from Marnie, who sells animals in Stardew Valley. The chicken may be either white or brown. When the player first receives the chicken, it will be a baby that matures into an adult on the third day. Only adult chickens can produce eggs. In order to mature their baby chicken and receive eggs, players must feed them.

Chickens will only eat hay, which can be purchased from Marnie for 50 gold or obtained by cutting grass. Players should place the hay on the bench in the back of the coop for the chickens to consume. Players will want to prioritize cutting grass to obtain hay, as purchasing from Marnie can quickly lead to a loss in profits, especially as players increase the number of animals on their farm. At the start of each season, grass will grow naturally on the player's farm, and players should cut it using a Scythe to harvest the hay to feed their chickens in Stardew Valley. Of note, the standard Scythe has a 50% chance to harvest hay from grass while the Golden Scythe has a 75% chance.

Stardew Valley: Best Way to Feed Chickens

To ensure players have sufficient hay, they may want to let the grass grow and only cut it on the last day of the season. Furthermore, players can purchase additional grass starts from Pierre or craft them using the crafting recipe and fiber. Additionally, hay can be stored in a silo, which will be useful during winter when grass does not grow. To craft a silo, players should visit Robin with 100 gold, 100 stone, 10 clay, and 5 copper bars. Once players have upgraded their coop to the Deluxe Coop, the hay will automatically transfer from the silo to the Deluxe Coop, so players will no longer need to manually place their hay to feed their chickens in Stardew Valley.

Furthermore, if players let their animals out to graze during the day in Spring, Summer, or Fall, they will eat the grass that is already growing on the farm, if available. This will reduce the amount of hay that is required to feed the animals in Stardew Valley and grant a boost in friendship for the animals. To receive the highest quality goods from animals, iridium quality, players will want to maximize their friendship with the animals. To let out their animals, players should open the small door at the front of the coop or barn. Additionally, the animals will automatically return inside at 5pm, and they will stay inside during bad weather and the Winter season.

Next: How to Get Fiddlehead Ferns in Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.