Animals Guide: Coop vs Barn, and How to Raise Livestock

A complete guide to Stardew Valley's farm animals — chickens, cows, goats, pigs, and more, plus how to build, feed, and profit from them.

FarmingOctober 21, 20262 min read

Animals turn your farm into a steady source of income: eggs, milk, wool, and truffles you can sell or turn into artisan goods. Here’s how to get started.

Coop vs Barn

There are two animal buildings, each with three upgrade tiers:

Building Cost Animals
Coop 4,000g + wood + stone Chickens, Ducks, Rabbits, Dinosaurs
Barn 6,000g + wood + stone Cows, Goats, Sheep, Pigs

Both can be upgraded (Big and Deluxe) to hold more animals and add auto-feeding.

Start with a Coop and chickens — they’re cheap and produce Egg eggs every day. Add a Barn with cows for Milk milk when you can afford it.

Buying animals

Animals are bought from Marnie’s Ranch (south of your farm):

  • Chicken — 800g
  • Cow — 1,500g
  • Duck — 1,200g
  • Goat — 4,000g
  • Rabbit — 8,000g
  • Sheep — 8,000g
  • Pig — 16,000g

Feeding your animals

  • Build a Silo first — it stores hay cut from grass.
  • Let animals outside to eat grass on sunny days.
  • In winter and rain, they eat hay from the Silo (Deluxe buildings auto-feed).
  • Pet them every day to raise their hearts — higher hearts mean higher-quality products.

Build the Silo before the Coop. Without stored hay, you’ll have to buy it from Marnie every day in winter.

What each animal produces

Animal Product Artisan version
Chicken Egg Egg Mayonnaise Mayonnaise
Duck Duck Egg Duck Egg Duck Mayonnaise
Cow Milk Milk Cheese Cheese
Goat Goat Milk Goat Cheese Goat Cheese
Sheep Wool Wool Cloth Cloth
Rabbit Wool + Rabbit’s Foot —
Pig Truffle Truffle Truffle Oil Truffle Oil

The best animals for money

  1. Pigs are the single most profitable animal — they dig up Truffles outdoors, and Truffle Oil sells for a fortune.
  2. Cows and goats are great steady income when their milk is turned into cheese.
  3. Chickens are the cheapest entry point and pay for themselves quickly.

The bottom line

Start small with a Coop and chickens, add a Silo first for hay, pet your animals daily, and upgrade toward Pigs for Truffles. Turn products into artisan goods (Mayonnaise, Cheese, Truffle Oil) to multiply their value, and your animals will become a reliable daily income stream.