Summary
- Stardew Valley offers a wholesome farming experience with various animals adding depth to gameplay.
- Proper care and understanding of each animal's benefits can help players maximize profits on their farm.
- Updates like the recent addition of turtles continue to enhance the game's content for dedicated fans.
In this day and age, everyone likes to escape to a simpler type of life. Stardew Valley is one of those wholesome RPGs that allows gamers to enter a world that most people don't get to experience anymore, and that's the world of farming.
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While crops are definitely important in Stardew Valley, animals also play a big role in the farming adventure. Not only can players raise and sell their animals, but they can also keep these animals and utilize their produce. But just like in real life, some of these animals provide more benefits than others. Since building up the farm business is the main goal, it's good to understand each animal's pros and cons in Stardew Valley.
Updated on March 5, 2025, by Ashely Claudino: While this list was almost complete, there was one iconic Stardew Valley that only had a mention and deserved its own entry, and that's the blue chicken. Most Stardew Valley fans will be acquainted with this peculiarly colored animal, as it has become associated with Shane, a fan-favorite bachelor, so it is more than worthy to be part of this list.
14 Crows
A Force of Nature
- Price: NA
- Value (at max hearts): NA
- Requirements: For every 16 crops, a crow may try and eat a crop
- Produce: NA
Stardew Valley wouldn't be complete without hindrances to farming life! Every night on the farm, there is a slight chance that a crow will spawn and attempt to eat budding crops sprouting from the ground. For every 16 crops growing, a crow may try and eat a crop. This maxes out at four potential crows at a time. Each crow may hop along and peck the ground after eating a crop, but this is a purely cosmetic animation with no in-game impact.
Gamers can prevent crows from attacking their farm by placing scarecrows near growing crops. Scarecrows are unlocked at Farming level one and can be obtained relatively early. Players can also collect all the Rarecrows in the game, adding some decorative flair to their space.
13 Pets
Present Delivery Service
- Price: None, can be chosen at the beginning of the game in character creation or adopted later
- Value (at max hearts): NA
- Requirements: None
- Produce: Occasional gifts
Players can choose whether they want a cat, a dog, or a turtle when creating their farmer. Pets don't contribute to profit on the farm in any way, but having a maximum friendship level with one will count towards a single point during Grandpa's Evaluation.
Additionally, with the release of update 1.6, pets can now bring the player a gift from time to time, so it might be a good idea for players to pet their friend every day and refill its bowl, as it increases the friendship level.
12 Horse
Adorable Sidekicks
- Price: 10,000 gold
- Value (at max hearts): NA
- Requirements: Stable, horse included in the price
- Produce: None
Horses are one of the only animals the farmer doesn't need to get from Marnie. Instead, they'll have to visit Robin's Carpenter shop and purchase a stable for their farm. Stables are handy since they always come with a single horse included, which can be named when first ridden.
Horses are beneficial for increased movement speed. Better yet, if the player consumes coffee, the movement speed bonus stacks. Movement speed buffs allow players to get more done in a single day in the game, so it's an excellent investment to make in a game without any vehicles or bikes. Unfortunately, horses won't produce any animal products.
11 Goats
Milk and Cheese Farms
- Price: 4,000 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 5,200 gold
- Requirements: Big Barn
-
Produce:
Goat Milk,
Large Goat Milk
In Stardew Valley, goats have fewer benefits than they do in real life. While real farmers benefit from the fact that a goat will eat anything, Stardew farmers only reap the benefits of goat milk. The downside of goats is that they produce every other day, not every day. The good part is that players can sell their milk or churn it into goat cheese.
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After a while, the goat will pay for itself, just slower than other animal options. It is possible to get Iridium quality Large Goats Milk if the goat has a sufficient mood and friendship level, which can then be sold for 828 gold. Players should ensure their water troughs are always full and the hay is plentiful!
10 Ducks
Beautiful Feathers and Valuable Eggs
- Price: 1,200 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 1,560 gold
- Requirements: Big Coop
-
Produce:
Duck Egg,
Duck Feather
Ducks are definitely a fun animal to get when playing Stardew Valley. They lay their own eggs, which can be turned into "duck mayonnaise," and they even drop feathers that can be sold for 500 gold at Iridium quality or used in tailoring. Additionally, those who want to build friendships with Pelican Town villagers like Elliot or Leo can gift this to them to yield positive results.
The downside is that, like goats, ducks only produce their eggs every two days. Furthermore, Duck Feathers only appear after players build strong bonds with their feathered friend and if the player has sufficient daily luck. Nonetheless, if profit isn't a primary concern, ducks are somewhat productive and fun to have on the farm.
9 Chickens
Can't Go Wrong with a Farm Classic
- Price: 800 gold for regular chickens
- Value (at max hearts): 1,040 gold
- Requirements: Coop for regular chickens, Big Coop for Void Chicken
-
Produce:
Egg, Brown Egg,
Large Egg, Large Brown Egg,
Void Egg
Chickens are a Stardew Valley staple and a must-have for any aspiring farmers, with four variations: White, Brown, Void, and Blue. A Void Egg can be purchased initially from Krobus for 5,000 gold or obtained in a random Witch event and incubated to hatch a Void Chicken.
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All chickens are incredibly affordable to purchase, and once matured, they will lay eggs daily. Using a Mayonnaise Machine, their eggs can be turned into regular Mayonnaise or Void Mayonnaise, selling for even more than the eggs themselves. Eggs are also an essential ingredient in several cooking recipes in Stardew Valley, like Crab Cakes, for those entrepreneurial chefs. Even though chicken eggs are worth less than duck eggs, their daily production makes them a reliable farm animal. Plus, they're easy to feed and care for!
8 Sheep
Fuzzy and Valuable
- Price: 8,000 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 10,400 gold
- Requirements: Deluxe Barn
-
Produce:
Wool
Sheep do not produce milk or eggs (obviously), but their wool can bring a pretty penny. When properly taken care of, these sheep will be fuzzy enough to shear every three in-game days.
In addition to selling their wool, players can also keep it and use it for crafting. Once the Loom is acquired, players can turn wool into cloth, which is mostly used in tailoring clothing. Both cloth and wool are also great gifts to increase friendships with certain characters, like Emily, for example.
7 Blue Chickens
Unique Feathered Friends
- Price: 800 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 1,040 gold
- Requirements: Coop, Shane's eight-heart event
-
Produce:
Egg,
Large Egg
Stardew Valley has a unique type of chicken: Blue Chickens. Once gamers get a coop, they can get brown and white chickens as well as blue chickens, but first, they must befriend Shane.
Once players experience Shane's eight-heart event, they will be able to acquire blue chickens. However, there's a catch. Players can't hatch a blue chicken or simply go up to Marnie and request to buy one. To get a blue chicken in Stardew Valley, gamers attempt to purchase a chicken from Marnie; if the prompt to name the chicken reveals that it is blue, they can go ahead and confirm the purchase to add it to their farm.
6 Cows
Classic Milk Produce
- Price: 1,500 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 1,950 gold
- Requirements: Barn
-
Produce:
Milk,
Large Milk
Cows are like chickens. Well, not literally. But in the world of Stardew Valley, they're equally dependable, and no farm is complete without them. Cows will produce milk daily, once they are matured. If they feel loved and sufficient happiness has been reached, players will even receive large milk. These sell for more gold and can be used to produce Cheese.
Make sure the cows always have hay and they don't get grumpy. If they're unhappy, milk loss is inevitable. Also, make sure to have a Milk Pail ready; otherwise, milking is impossible.
5 Rabbits
Feet Regeneration Value
- Price: 8,000 gold
- Value (at max hearts): 10,400 gold
- Requirements: Deluxe Coop
-
Produce:
Rabbit's Foot,
Wool
Rabbits in Stardew Valley are quite the opposite of real-life rabbits. These critters are one of the few animals that cannot reproduce in the game, while in reality, rabbits reproduce like it's their job. However, rabbits are still quite useful on Stardew farms for other reasons.
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These animals drop wool every four days, and if players are really good to their rabbits, they'll even drop something called a Rabbit's Foot. This particular item is worth a lot of money, especially its highest possible quality. Combine a sheep farm and a rabbit farm to produce wool for days.