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There are many different animals that players can raise inStardew Valley. Out of all them, chickens are most likely many players' first animal in-game due to the relative cheapness of a coop made only for chickens.
Chickens inStardew Valleyproduce eggs and big eggs. The size and quality of these eggs are dependent on the happiness of each chicken, which is affected by if they’re fed, warm, and pet by the player. Feeding the chickens however can be a mystery for newer players to the game.
Updated April 23rd, 2025 by Renri Seong:Now that the Nintendo Switch version ofStardew Valleyhas been updated to 1.6, there have been many changes added to the gameplay that were originally exclusive to the PC version. Among these changes was a new farm layout called the Meadowlands Farm, which made it easier to raise animals and make a good profit within the first month. There’s also a new type of feed for chickens called blue grass. Even if you continue from a pre-existing file, there are still ways to get blue grass for your animals. With 1.6 available everywhere, there are more reliable ways to feed chickens and your other coop-animals. The following guide has been updated to reflectStardew Valley1.6 including sell prices for eggs and mayonnaise.
How to Get Chickens in Stardew Valley
What Do Chickens Eat?
Before you can get chickens, you’ll need to build aCoop. You’ll need to go to theCarpenter’s Store, which is in the Mountains (north of Pelican Town), and have one built on your farm. Coops will require the following materials and cost:
A regular Coop will hold up to 4 chickens. If you want to buy ducks and other animals, you’re going to need to upgrade your coop to aBig Coop. From a Big Coop, you can upgrade to aDeluxe Coop, which houses 12 animals.
Unless it’s raining or there’s an in-game event, you won’t be able to use the Carpenter’s Shop onTuesdays.
To open up a coop or any animal holding farm building, you need to interact with the small, vertical door on the front side of the building.As long as it isn’t raining or the season isn’t winter, animals will leave the coop to eat and wander about your farm. At6:00pm, all animals will return to their respective buildings, which you can then close the doors. However,ensure you don’t lock any of your animals outside over night. Doing so puts them at risk of being eaten by wild animals.
To ensure you’re getting eggs and other animal productsfrom your Coop/Barn animals, you need to feed them.Stardew Valleyfarm animals will eatgrassorhay. Here’s how to ensure you have a supply of both:
Grass
The grass that animals eat arethe long green stalks growing around your farm, not the small weeds that drop mixed seeds. As long as there’s grass within the coop/barn range, your animals will eat.
If you’re short on grass, you can buytheGrass Starter crafting recipefrom Pierre for1000g. You can also buyGrass Starterfor 100g, but it’s better to start out with the recipe. Your character will plantx1 Grass Starterforx1 Tile.
To makex1 Grass Starterwith the crafting recipe, you’ll needx10 Fiber, which drops from cutting weeds.
As of 1.6, wild grass staysyear longon your farm. However, keep in mind that your animals won’t go outside during winter. Your best bet is to either cut down the grass or leave it for the spring season.
Hay
The other option for chicken food ishay. Hay can bepurchased from Marniefor50ga piece, or you may harvest it from the long grass with a scythe. Before you start cutting down grass, you’ll need aSilo. You can one from Robin for 100g, x100 Stone, x10 Clay, x5 Copper Bar. If you cut grass without the Silo, you won’t get any hay from it.
Get the Iridium Scythe from the Farming Mastery at the Mastery Cave in Cindersap Forest. It’s the best tool for collecting hay.
How to Get Blue Grass
Meadowlands Farm, Blue Grass Crafting Recipe
In 1.6, a new farm layout was added toStardew Valley. TheMeadowlands Farmstarts you withone Coopandtwo chickensinstead of the x15 Parsnip Seeds from Lewis.A new type of grass, Blue Grass, grows on the Meadowlands Farm. Unlike the regular Grass Starter, Blue Grass doubles the friendship points when consumed by an animal. You should refrain from cutting it when you’re just starting out.
The Blue Grass Starter crafting recipe can be obtained through Qi’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island. You’ll need 40 Qi Gems. To craft Blue Grass, you’ll need these ingredients:
How to Feed Chickens Hay In Stardew Valley
How to Get a Silo
to feed the chickens hay, you will need to place the hay in the feeding trough at the back of the coop. If you want to use hay from the silos on theirStardew Valleyfarm, you can get it from the box of hay located in the top left corner of the coop. ExtraHaycan be returned to the silo through this box.
During winter or rainy days, you will need to make sure you have hay placed in the feeders for your animals. Once you upgrade to the Deluxe Barn/Coop,it’ll come with a built-in Auto-Feeder.As long as there’s hay in the silo, the feeders will restock themselves each day.
How Much Do Eggs Sell For?
All Coop Animals that Lay Eggs in Stardew Valley
Chickens can be a vital resource, especially in the earlier seasons ofStardew Valley. Feeding chickens is necessary for getting better, upgraded qualities for their eggs. If you have a Big Coop or a Deluxe Coop, you can start getting other egg-laying animals, such asDucks.
You can also getBlue Chickensif you reach Shane’s 8-heart event. When you go to buy a chicken from Marnie, there’s a 25% chance it’ll be a blue chicken (check the top of your screen before finalizing the purchase). Despite their coloring, blue chickens make regular, white chicken eggs.
Here’s a look at how much eggs sell for depending on quality:
50g
60g
62g
74g
75g
90g
100g
120g
95g
114g
118g
141g
142g
170g
190g
228g
65g
78g
81g
97g
116g
130g
156g
If the witch flies over a Big Coop during the night,you’ll find a Void Egg the next morning. If you don’t get this Random Event, then you’ll have to buy a Void Egg from Krobus in the Pelican Town Sewers for5000g.
350g
1050g
437g
1311g
525g
1575g
700g
2100g
Dinosaur Eggs are classified as Artifacts rather than animal products. They are sometimes dropped by the Pepper Rex monsters in the Skull Cavern. To make the most out of selling Dinosaur Eggs, you should read the Treasure Appraisal Guide.
Golden Chickens
If you achieve Perfection, then you can obtain Golden Chicken and thus, Golden Eggs. Once you have Perfection (which you can check in Qi’s Walnut Room), you can get the first Golden Egg through any of the following:
Incubate the Golden Egg to get a Golden Chicken, which will then produce more Golden Eggs.
500g
600g
625g
750g
900g
1000g
1200g
What Are Eggs Used For?
Eggs vs. Mayonnaise
Eggs can begiven as giftsto the other characters in Stardew Valley. Depending on the type of egg, they can either be a Liked, Loved, or Hated gift. For example, Void Eggs are universally disliked by everyone except Krobus and Sebastian. You’ll also need chicken eggs for certain recipes such as thePink CakeorComplete Breakfast.
However, until you get the golden chicken or read the Treasure Appraisal Guide (Dinosaur Eggs), you’ll get more money if youturn them into mayonnaise. you’re able to do this by using aMayonnaise Machine, which you’ll get the crafting recipe for atFarming Level 2.
