Does it matter if you dont fence in your crops?

[orthostice]

Okay so fencing in your animals yeah that makes sense but fencing in crops? I mean does grass grow around your crops,if they do it doesnt really matter its not like there towering over them.

[dino_inc]

You don't need to fence in anything, even animals. The animals can freely wander around with no penalty, and fencing in crops is just for decoration.

[orthostice]

Originally posted by dino_inc:

You don't need to fence in anything, even animals. The animals can freely wander around with no penalty, and fencing in crops is just for decoration.

I thought there was a range limit for how far animals can go,so i fenced in my animals and planted some grass for them

[orthostice]

also do animals eat your crops?

[Rio]

Fences aren't important. And I have not had any animals ever eat crops.

[Headrock]

I don't use fences for crops at all. I do however work to remove any weeds and rocks that are anywhere near my crops, because I've seen them spread and destroy things.

One thing I have noticed, however, is that on occasion a plant will grow slower than the plants around it for seemingly no reason. It's rare, but it happens a couple of times a year. I don't know if this has anything to do with fences though - I still haven't managed to figure out what's causing it.

[SapienChavez]

Originally posted by JuiCY:

also do animals eat your crops?

nope! no trample damage either. the only issue i have encountered is when they stand on crops you want to harvest and you keep accessing their happiness menu. that alone made me fence-in my crops.

[quin♥jay]

I like to just lay down some paths around the front of my barn and coop to contain the spread of grass to just that area. Other than that, my animals wander free. I have had a couple animals die overnight, apparently because they didn't wander back into their homes, so maybe a fence would prevent that.

[I Kinda Fail]

Things like logs and bushes can "spread" (1 log becomes 3, etc.) but if you keep them in check, you're good. Just kill any rocks, logs or bushes that spawn near your crops.

[rad rat ray]

Originally posted by lynnyliz:

I like to just lay down some paths around the front of my barn and coop to contain the spread of grass to just that area. Other than that, my animals wander free. I have had a couple animals die overnight, apparently because they didn't wander back into their homes, so maybe a fence would prevent that.

um...I don't think that can happen

[Nakos]

And ... I feel compelled to add:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuMvkNDuOuQ

[I Kinda Fail]

Originally posted by rad rat ray:

Originally posted by lynnyliz:

I like to just lay down some paths around the front of my barn and coop to contain the spread of grass to just that area. Other than that, my animals wander free. I have had a couple animals die overnight, apparently because they didn't wander back into their homes, so maybe a fence would prevent that.

um...I don't think that can happen

http://stardewvalleywiki.com/Animals#Wolf_Attacks

EDIT: I should say, this only happens, to my knowledge, if you lock them out / close the door on them.

To ensure maximum happiness, you're SUPPOSED to close the barn doors. However, it's such an insignificant amount that it really isn't worth doing if you're short on time. However, the AI has pretty bad pathing, so if you have too many trees, fences and things like kegs placed about, the animals can sometimes wander in a way that they can't find their way back. (I had a barn to the west of the greenhouse, and somehow a chicken wandered to the southeast of the farm...)

If they "can't find their way back", but you leave the barn door open, they SHOULD be safe. But if you close the door with them outside, and there's no other event that night (fairy, witch, weeds spreading) the Wiki says there's a decent chance of them being eaten. The formula the Wiki lists is weird. 50% chance, but a 1/X chance per building... So if you have 10 barns, does that mean it's 50% initially, and 5% once you have 10 barns? Or... wut? I dunno.

[Cryten]

cant you just leave the area and come back? After a certain time the game should assume when the area isnt loaded that the animals re-entered the barn (if path availible). Is this off base?

[I Kinda Fail]

Originally posted by Cryten:

cant you just leave the area and come back? After a certain time the game should assume when the area isnt loaded that the animals re-entered the barn (if path availible). Is this off base?

Not sure. Some things get remembered off-map, like NPC pathing and stuff like fishing bubbles or panning spots. So it's highly likely the animals will remain in the same spaces.

You can try shoving a chicken into the corner of your coop, then leave and re-enter to see if it moves or not.

I think they just teleport back to the barn, though, if the door's still open. The problem would be if the farmer didn't realize there was a single duck left behind a tree or something, and closed the door, with the intention of getting a few extra friendship points...

[illumisphaero]

I always fence my animals in, and sometimes my crops too, depending on how it looks.
For the animals, I don't want them to wander all around the farm.
I also close the barn/coop doors in the evening so I can tend to my animals in their houses the next day. Have you ever tried finding all your chickens/ducks/rabbits in a grassy enclosure?