Feeding chickens in Stardew Valley is the key to keeping your flock happy and collecting eggs every single morning. Once you understand the hay hopper system — and the option to let chickens graze outdoors — the whole routine takes just a few seconds per day.
Chickens need one unit of hay per day. Miss a feeding and a chicken's mood drops, which can cut its egg production for the next day. Get into a good routine early and your Coop will practically run itself.
What you need before you start
- A Coop built on your farm (requires 4,000 gold, 300 Wood, 100 Stone — ordered from Robin at the Carpenter Shop).
- At least one Chicken, purchased from Marnie's Ranch for 800 gold each.
- A supply of Hay. Hay drops when you cut grass on your farm, and is stored automatically in a Silo. You can also buy hay directly from Marnie for 50 gold per bundle.
How to feed chickens in Stardew Valley
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Step 1: Build a Coop on your farm
Before you can house — or feed — any chickens, you need a Coop. Visit Robin at the Carpenter Shop (north of town, open Tuesday to Friday and Sunday) and select "Construct Farm Buildings." A basic Coop costs 4,000 gold, 300 Wood, and 100 Stone. Robin needs two days to build it; you can go about your normal farm tasks in the meantime. Once construction finishes, a hay hopper and a feeding bench appear inside automatically.
Order a Coop from Robin — it takes two in-game days to build. -
Step 2: Buy chickens from Marnie's Ranch
With your Coop ready, head to Marnie's Ranch (just south of your farm) and enter the shop. Select "Purchase Animals," then choose Chicken. Each chicken costs 800 gold and you will be asked to name it. The chicken appears inside your Coop on the same day. A basic Coop holds up to four chickens; upgrade to a Big Coop or Deluxe Coop later if you want more.
Marnie sells chickens for 800 gold each — you need a Coop ready first. -
Step 3: Stock the hay hopper inside the Coop
Enter your Coop and look for the hay hopper — a brown funnel-shaped container on the left wall. Open your inventory, select hay, and right-click the hopper to load it. The game moves hay from the hopper onto the feeding bench (the long trough) automatically each morning. You can also click the hopper while holding nothing to pull hay from your Silo directly into the hopper without opening your inventory. Keep the hopper stocked and every chicken in the building will have food waiting when they wake up.
Right-click the hopper to load hay — it distributes to the feeding bench automatically. -
Step 4: Chickens eat automatically each morning
You do not need to hand-feed individual chickens. As long as hay is loaded in the hopper, the game places it on the feeding bench every morning and each chicken eats one serving. A fed chicken gains +1 Mood that day. High mood builds Friendship hearts over time, and chickens with higher friendship produce better-quality eggs — Large Eggs, then Gold-quality Eggs. If hay runs out, chickens skip eating, mood drops, and you risk losing a day of eggs.
When the hopper is stocked, chickens feed themselves — no extra action needed from you. -
Step 5: Open the coop door for outdoor grazing
Each morning you can also click the small hatch door on the front of your Coop to open it. When the hatch is open, chickens wander outside and eat the grass growing on your farm — this counts as feeding them and costs you no hay at all. Grazing is only available in Spring, Summer, and Fall when grass exists. In Winter — or on rainy days — keep the door closed and rely on the hay hopper instead. Always close the hatch before nightfall so chickens return safely indoors.
Open the coop hatch in good weather so chickens graze on grass for free.
Tips for keeping chickens happy
- Build a Silo before a Coop. A Silo (100 gold, 100 Stone, 10 Copper Bar, 5 Clay) collects hay automatically whenever you cut grass. Without one, cut grass just disappears.
- Pet your chickens daily. Walking up to each chicken and pressing the action button gives +1 Mood independent of feeding. It takes about ten seconds per bird and pays off in gold-quality eggs over time.
- Keep the hatch closed on stormy days. Chickens will not go outside in rain and lightning. If the hatch is open but weather is bad, they stay in and still need hay from the hopper.
- Upgrade to the Big Coop. The Big Coop upgrade unlocks the incubator, which lets you hatch eggs into new chickens for free instead of buying them.
- Stock up on hay in Fall. Cut as much grass as you can in Fall to build a Silo stockpile before Winter, when no grass grows.
Troubleshooting
My chickens look sad in the morning
Check the hay hopper. If it is empty, the feeding bench will be bare and chickens will not eat. Refill the hopper and the chickens will return to normal mood after a fed day.
I can't find hay in my inventory
Hay is stored inside your Silo, not in your personal inventory. Go to the hopper and right-click — hay moves from the Silo to the hopper directly. If you have no Silo, buy hay from Marnie for 50 gold per unit.
Chickens are not going outside
Make sure the coop hatch door is actually open (click it each morning — it does not open automatically). Chickens also stay inside during rain or storms, so check the weather.
Chickens have not laid any eggs
Newly purchased chickens take a few days to mature before they begin laying. Once mature, a fed and happy chicken lays one egg per day. If an adult chicken still isn't laying, check that its mood is not too low.
Frequently asked questions
How do you feed chickens in Stardew Valley?
Place hay into the hay hopper inside the Coop by right-clicking it with hay in hand. The hopper moves hay to the feeding bench automatically each morning so all chickens eat without any extra input from you.
Where do you get hay to feed chickens in Stardew Valley?
Cut grass on your farm with a scythe and hay is collected automatically into your Silo. If you have no Silo yet, or need extra, you can buy hay from Marnie's Ranch for 50 gold per unit.
Do chickens need to be fed every day?
Yes, chickens need one unit of hay per day (or access to outdoor grass). A missed feeding lowers their mood, which can reduce egg quality. Keeping the hopper stocked means you never have to think about it.
Can chickens feed themselves in Stardew Valley?
Partly. If you open the coop hatch and there is grass outside, chickens walk out and graze, counting as fed for that day at no hay cost. However, you do need to open the hatch manually each morning.
How many chickens can one Coop hold?
A basic Coop holds up to 4 chickens. Upgrading to a Big Coop raises the limit to 8, and a Deluxe Coop can hold up to 12 birds.
Final thoughts
Feeding chickens in Stardew Valley comes down to one habit: keep the hay hopper full and open the hatch on sunny mornings. Do that, pet each bird once a day, and your flock will quickly become one of the most profitable parts of your farm. For more on the game's farming mechanics, visit the official Stardew Valley website.
