There are many different animals that players can raise in Stardew 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 in Stardew Valley produce 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 14th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Stardew Valley continues to be one of the best indie games to ever hit the market, with players logging in each and every day to tend to their farms and help build relationships with the many townspeople found around the area. One of the best aspects of Stardew Valley is that it allows players to create streams of income by producing a farm that sells whatever products they wish. For some players, raising animals is one of the most engrossing things about the title. Many players will find that chickens in Stardew Valley are particularly profitable and offer eggs that can be used for a variety of other things. To better showcase Stardew Valley's chickens and what they're capable of, the following guide has been updated with more info.

With the chickens' product quality being heavily dependent on whether or not they're fed, it is very important for players to actively feed them. There are luckily two different foods that chickens will eat with both being in good supply on players' Stardew Valley farms.

stardew valley birds chickens ducks

The first thing that chickens eat is grass. By grass, this doesn't mean the firm plants that players can't cross unless they cut it down with a scythe, but the long and soft grass that players can also cut down. In order to eat this, however, players will need to let the chickens outside of their coops.

To open up a coop or any animal holding farm building, players need to stand outside the farm building. Next to the door that the players use to enter the building is a vertical door that can be opened with a right click or whatever button is mapped to players' secondary action. This will let the animals leave the building. Animals, however, will not leave the building at night, if it is raining, or if it is winter in Stardew Valley. This means that they will not eat grass, either.

The other option for chicken food is hay. Hay can be purchased from Marnie for 50g each or harvested from grass by using a scythe. Players, however, can only harvest hay from grass if they have a silo that isn't filled. Silos can be constructed like any other farm building through Robin.

How to Feed Chickens Hay In Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley Hay Storage And Outdoor Layout Split Image

In order to feed the chickens hay, players will need to place the hay on the feeding trough in the back of the coop. If players want to use hay from the silos on their Stardew Valley farm, they can get it from the box of hay located in the top left corner of the coop. Extra hay can also be put back in the silo through this box.

Once players upgrade their coop to the deluxe coop, an automatic hay feeder will be added. This means that hay will automatically be placed on the trough as long as there is hay in the silos.

More On Feeding Chickens In Stardew Valley

stardew valley blue chickens

Chickens can be a vital resource for players, especially in the earlier parts of the game as they attempt to create a steady stream of income. Feeding chickens is paramount to getting better, upgraded qualities for their eggs. Here's a look at how much a chicken's eggs sell for depending on quality:

Brown/White Egg Quality No Star Silver Star Gold Star Iridium Star
Price Per Item 50g 62g 75g 100g

Here's a look at the price for large eggs:

Large Brown/White Egg Quality No Star Silver Star Gold Star Iridium Star
Price Per Item 95g 118g 142g 190g

Golden Chickens

Players can also get their hands on a Golden Chicken, which has its own unique prices for the eggs it produces. Golden Chickens will produce an egg each day. Players can build their own stable of Golden Chickens by raising the fowl to maturity. Golden Eggs can be gained in four different ways:

  • Purchased from Qi's Walnut Room for 100 Qi Gems.
  • By a random event in which a Golden Witch will fly over the player's Coop after they have fallen asleep and leave a Golden Egg inside.
  • Purchased from Marnie for 100,000g.
  • Can also be found in Fishing Treasure Chests randomly at a very rare rate (0.12% chance).

Once players have obtained a Golden Egg, they can hatch it inside a Coop. It will take 6 days, or 3 days if a player has the Coopmaster Profession. Once a Golden Chick has hatched from the egg, players will need to feed it for three days for it to mature into a Golden Chicken. Golden Eggs will produce the following values when sold:

Golden Egg Quality No Star Silver Star Gold Star Iridium Star
Price Per Item 500 625 750 1000g

It's also possible for players to possess a blue chicken, although the methods for gaining these chickens and feeding them remains the same. The only requirement to "unlock" blue chickens is witnessing Shane's 8-heart event.

What Are Eggs Used For?

SV Kitchen

Players that enjoy cooking in Stardew Valley should definitely consider raising some chickens to keep a steady supply of eggs coming into the farm. Eggs are mainly used for recipe creation, and there are an abundance of foods that players can make with the versatile item. Here's a look at all the foods that contain eggs in Stardew Valley:

  • Mayonnaise (Also used as an Ingredient)
  • Blueberry Tart
  • Chocolate Cake
  • Cookie
  • Crab Cakes
  • Fried Egg
  • Omelet
  • Pancakes
  • Pink Cake

Eggs are also used in the Sewing Machine to help create new styles. Regular white eggs and brown eggs will create the Plain Overalls. Large white eggs and large brown eggs will product the Cardigan.

Stardew Valley is available now on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One.

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