How to assign animal food to animals and not human food?

[Wistala]

Greetings!

I just had a toxic fallout in which all my animals needed medicial care as I didn't even know a toxic fallout was possible. I noticed that while they were bing cared for my colonist kept giving them human food. I quickly ran out and then they started to feed the animals hey, raw meat etc.

So my question is, how do I get them to eat animal food and not human food? I got like 1000+ hey that's stored in the same place as the human food (its even closer to the door) yet they pick human food. I have even noticed that dogs and cat walking around freely keeps eating human food. So yeah. Any way or mods?

[GZstar]

You need to restrict the animal zones to prevent them from eating meals. There seem to be no other option besides maybe mods. But restricting the zone is working fine. Just your food hauling animals should be allowed in the human freezer/storage room.

[grapplehoeker]

Create a stockpile area for animal food within the area you restrict your animals. Do not extend the animal area to include your human food stockpiles.
Do not allow your cats and dogs to wander freely or at least use the inverted animal area function to allow them unrestricted access to anywhere except the rooms where human food is stored.
When doctoring however, the tender will use whatever food is available for feeding sick animals and makes no distincion between animal or human food.

[Wistala]

I see.

Anyone who can explain to me how to restrict a room or area? Like a How To For Dummies.

[Wistala]

I managed to make an animal zone and then invert it, so they can go anywhere but 1 building. I have another storage that's full of hey and raw chicken meat, but the cat and dogs refuses to enter that building to eat it (they are not locked out of it) instead they are eating corpses.

[Starfoth The Burgundy Silk Rug]

I kind of wish the food AI was better
Prisoners should get slop
Animals should get hay
Also, I would like to be able to set my animals to only eat hay that way I can let them haul food from the fields to the freezer

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Wistala:

I managed to make an animal zone and then invert it, so they can go anywhere but 1 building. I have another storage that's full of hey and raw chicken meat, but the cat and dogs refuses to enter that building to eat it (they are not locked out of it) instead they are eating corpses.

I usually place my animal food stockpile near to where their sleeping spots are located and it's fun to watch my chickens and elephants race from all over to get to the kibble or hay when it's delivered by an hauler.

[Wistala]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by Wistala:

I managed to make an animal zone and then invert it, so they can go anywhere but 1 building. I have another storage that's full of hey and raw chicken meat, but the cat and dogs refuses to enter that building to eat it (they are not locked out of it) instead they are eating corpses.

I usually place my animal food stockpile near to where their sleeping spots are located and it's fun to watch my chickens and elephants race from all over to get to the kibble or hay when it's delivered by an hauler.

Lol. Well I just managed to get it all to work, they have a barn next to their enclosore so they enter and eat, cats and dogs walked into the building or the barn to eat. Works much better.

I still wish that the colonists would stop feeding them human food in case of treatment lol

[Danielle Russell Is Hot.]

Only downside is, then they won't hual your food to your freezer.

[bigsengineer]

Originally posted by Starfoth The Burgundy Silk Rug:

I kind of wish the food AI was better
Prisoners should get slop
Animals should get hay
Also, I would like to be able to set my animals to only eat hay that way I can let them haul food from the fields to the freezer

u can make the prisoners get slop with creative base design. basicly put a nutrient paste dispenser in ur prison

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Wistala:

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

I usually place my animal food stockpile near to where their sleeping spots are located and it's fun to watch my chickens and elephants race from all over to get to the kibble or hay when it's delivered by an hauler.

Lol. Well I just managed to get it all to work, they have a barn next to their enclosore so they enter and eat, cats and dogs walked into the building or the barn to eat. Works much better.

I still wish that the colonists would stop feeding them human food in case of treatment lol

Cool. Setting up different types of areas and restrictions is a great way to manage both colonists and animals. You're learning ;)

[Wistala]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by Wistala:

Lol. Well I just managed to get it all to work, they have a barn next to their enclosore so they enter and eat, cats and dogs walked into the building or the barn to eat. Works much better.

I still wish that the colonists would stop feeding them human food in case of treatment lol

Cool. Setting up different types of areas and restrictions is a great way to manage both colonists and animals. You're learning ;)

Yup! And so many talented modders have done the game even better :D
Had a lovely buck who was born on the farm, sadly both his front legs had been shot off, thanks to a mod he now got two peg legs ^^

[Derpino]

Hello. There is a mod called "Smarter Food Selection".
That might solve your problem however, it is not available on steam.
https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=30708.msg313430#msg313430

[M.K.]

The OP's problem is not in what the Animals prefer to eat, but what the human doctor feeds them while considering the animal a patient under treatment.
.
A doctor will select the food for the patient from the same food the doctor is allowed to eat, unless the patient's diet restriction forbids it. So if you only allow the doctor lavish meals, then lavish meals are what he will be feeding to your sick muffalo.

[Kallith]

I put 2 freezers by the wall in the Common area and 2 animal managers in front of them and they seem to go for that first since its the closest.

[Starfoth The Burgundy Silk Rug]

Originally posted by archcycle:

I know this is an old thread, but I got here from google so this dumbassness is being projected, so seems worth mentioning where you went wrong:

Have you ever met a cat or a dog that lived off of GRASS? Yeah real dogs and cats might chew and swallow some live green grass now and then for non-nutritional digestive reasons, but there is a reason your Rimworld dogs won't eat a pile of hay. I'll give you a hint- it's the exact reason you don't see your friends and neighbors eating hay. They can't digest it for nutrients.

Not just a necro but a useless one.
This is RimWorld, not real life. All animals can eat hay in RimWorld. The OP wants animals to eat the cheap stuff, which happens to be hay.
If you have a problem with cats/dogs being able to eat hay then start your own thread. But don't start getting mad about this person's gameplay reflecting the game and not IRL.