Stardew Valley Livestock Guide — Cows, Goats, Sheep, Pigs Compared

Livestock Comparison — Quick Reference

Happiness Mechanics — How to Maximize Animal Output

Every animal has a happiness and friendship score that affects product quality and production frequency. Happiness is influenced by feeding (hay or open grass in season), petting (interact daily), heater presence in Winter (Heater available from Marnie for 2,000g), and amount of outdoor time on nice days. A happy animal at high friendship will more consistently produce large-version products (Large Egg, Large Milk, etc.) which are worth significantly more.

The happiness cap is 255 (max). Petting an animal adds 15 happiness; leaving them outside on a clear day adds 5. Happiness decays slightly each day if not maintained. Animals that are not fed lose happiness rapidly. Always keep hay in the Feeding Bench inside the barn/coop — hay is purchased from Marnie (50g/day automatic purchase if hay is in the Silo) or grown on your farm.

Friendship (separate from happiness) also increases with daily petting. Max friendship (1,000) increases the chance of large product drops dramatically — a max-friendship Cow with a max-happiness score produces Large Milk most of the time, which converts to Cheese at 345g (vs regular Cheese at 230g). The difference compounds significantly across many animals.

Pigs — The Best Barn Investment

Pigs are the highest-income barn animal because their Truffles are forage items rather than the pig itself producing something. Pigs with high friendship and happiness go outside on clear, non-Winter days and dig up Truffles (up to one Truffle per pig per day). Truffles sell for 625g raw — higher than any single milk, egg, or wool product. Processed through an Oil Maker, one Truffle becomes Truffle Oil (1,065g, or 1,491g with the Artisan profession).

The math at scale is compelling: 8 Pigs in a Deluxe Barn, each producing 1 Truffle on a clear day = 8 Truffles × 1,491g Artisan Truffle Oil = 11,928g per clear day. Over a 28-day Spring/Summer/Fall season with ~20 clear days, that's approximately 238,560g from Pigs alone. This makes them definitively the best barn investment for players with the Deluxe Barn and Artisan profession.

Pigs don't work in Winter (they can't go outside) and won't produce Truffles on rainy days. To compensate, build enough Oil Makers (5 Wood + 1 Copper Bar + 1 Gold Bar per Oil Maker) to process all Truffles daily — one Oil Maker per 2–3 pigs keeps up with production on clear days.

Animal Income Comparison (Per Day, Max Friendship, With Artisan)

Verdict: Pigs win decisively on income per animal — their Truffle Oil output dwarfs all other animal products. However, they require a Deluxe Barn (25,000g) and only produce on clear non-Winter days. Goats and Cows are the best mid-game options before you can afford Pigs.

Building Progression — What to Build First

1. Basic Coop (4,000g) → house 4 Chickens for egg income. Buy from Robin. Chickens are the easiest early animal.
2. Silo (100g + 100 Stone + 10 Copper Bar + 5 Coal) → required to store Hay for feeding animals. Build before buying any animals.
3. Big Coop (10,000g) → unlocks Ducks and Incubator (hatch eggs from Dinosaur Egg or Void Egg).
4. Big Barn (10,000g) → unlocks Cows and Goats. Cows provide Milk for Cheese (needed for Artisan Community Center bundle). Goats unlock Large Goat Milk.
5. Deluxe Barn (25,000g) → unlocks Sheep and Pigs. Pigs are the end-goal for maximum animal income.
6. Deluxe Coop (20,000g) → unlocks Rabbits (Rabbit's Foot for bundles and high-value gift).
7. Heater (2,000g from Marnie) → place inside barns/coops for Winter to maintain animal happiness without outdoor access.

Common Livestock Mistakes

• Not building a Silo before the first barn/coop — animals will starve on rainy days without stored Hay.
• Buying Pigs before having a Deluxe Barn — Pigs require the Deluxe Barn tier, not the Big Barn.
• Forgetting to pet animals daily — friendship is the key multiplier for large product drops and product frequency.
• Not building enough Oil Makers for Truffle processing — one Oil Maker per pig is ideal; fewer Oil Makers create bottlenecks.
• Letting animals stay inside in Winter without a Heater — Heaters maintain happiness during seasons when animals can't go outside.
• Killing animals by shearing them before their Wool is ready — Sheep need 3 days between shearing; trying before then won't give Wool.