Chicken feeding

[roxeluze]

maybe I am doing something wrong since I built a coop around grass, not the weeds for fiber but actual long grass fenced them in so they would go into the grass everyday. They seem to be still grumpy/sad etc and one chicken looks thinare they just not eating the wild long grass and I need to plant the starters? o.o

[Hurodrik]

There is a small gate to the right of the door you use to enter the coop. Are you opening it? You most open the little gate for the animals to exit the building and eat grass outside.

[surroundedsita]

Also, make sure you are closing it at night! They will get grumpy if you don't (and you can actually lose some to wild animals!!)

[roxeluze]

Wait do I need to close it before a certain time at night? Say before 11? I have been opening it just odd one looks thin and ingame I waited this time to see if they would eat and one square of grass is gone hrmm. I guess they are eating it lol

[surroundedsita]

they are eating if they are going outside but YES close it!! As long as you close it before you go to sleep for the night it's all good.

[Mauri]

Originally posted by roxeluze:

maybe I am doing something wrong since I built a coop around grass, not the weeds for fiber but actual long grass fenced them in so they would go into the grass everyday. They seem to be still grumpy/sad etc and one chicken looks thinare they just not eating the wild long grass and I need to plant the starters? o.o

That's the right grass, and it should be fine. They also should path to it from quite far away. It seems that they can't get to it? What do they do outside?

edit. If the grass is gone that means they ate it. Maybe you should also put some food in the feeding through just in case, though they do prefer to eat outside.

[Hurodrik]

Originally posted by roxeluze:

Wait do I need to close it before a certain time at night? Say before 11? I have been opening it just odd one looks thin and ingame I waited this time to see if they would eat and one square of grass is gone hrmm. I guess they are eating it lol

If you pay attention to them when they leave the coop/barn you'll see that they eat the first grass spot they reach just as they exit. After a certain hour (around 5pm I think) they go back inside. You can close the gate at any time between then and the time you go to sleep. Just don't leave it open overnight.

[Queen of Hearts]

my coop and barn are fenced inareas and i always keep those doors open?are my animal still ok or should i close the doors at night still?

[surroundedsita]

always close the doors at night

[Hurodrik]

Originally posted by Queen of Hearts:

my coop and barn are fenced inareas and i always keep those doors open?are my animal still ok or should i close the doors at night still?

I don't know about this "wild animals attacking thing", it certainly never happened to me, and I left the gate open for many seasons after I stopped caring about the animals productivity. But there seems to be a link between their productivity and closing the gate or leaving it open.

[surroundedsita]

I, and many others, heard an animal noise in the night and woke up to one less chicken. This was confirmed as a possible result of leaving your coop doors open :/

[Mauri]

Originally posted by surroundedsita:

I, and many others, heard an animal noise in the night and woke up to one less chicken. This was confirmed as a possible result of leaving your coop doors open :/

Confirmed by who? And where? I've never heard of this before.

[surroundedsita]

https://www.reddit.com/r/StardewValley/comments/4aauih/questionpossible_bug_missing_chicken/ Just one of many posts of it happening.

[The_Pastmaster]

Originally posted by surroundedsita:

Also, make sure you are closing it at night! They will get grumpy if you don't (and you can actually lose some to wild animals!!)

Only goats are affected by that. Chickes don't care. My door has been open 24/7 for 3 months and I have happy, healthy chickens. :)

[Goliyth]

Yeeeeahhhhh, ummm, never once had an animal come up missing in a 5 yr game and left the doors open the entire time.

[The_Pastmaster]

Originally posted by Goliyth:

Yeeeeahhhhh, ummm, never once had an animal come up missing in a 5 yr game and left the doors open the entire time.

I wonder if it might have anything to do with fences. I have had my barn and coop fenced in 100% of the time with no decay holes.