Stables and straw storage

[South Buffalo Buzz]

The stables have - what - 10 storage slots? But I've never seen them contain more than one or two slots with straw in them. The priority for straw storage should be to store it in the stable first, and only the overflow goes into the haystack. That way, if a sled or cart full of straw comes in from the field, it fills the stable up and the animals start the winter with a full manger. I've had animals starve to death while sitting in the stable because the task of carrying straw to the various stables overloads the workload queue. Carrying the straw one or two bundles at a time from haystack to stable is a serious waste of resources, and it must be done continuously all winter, risking hypothermia and keeping people from doing other things. No farmer would ever work this way. Tractors - err, sleds and carts - should fill the barn at the start of the season and avoid all the extra trips.
You could reserve 2 slots for water, and keep those full the same way - make them the priority for water storage.

[South Buffalo Buzz]

Ok, counted wrong. 8 slots in the stable, not 10, but still... fill them with straw before storing straw in the haystack.

[677]

lol never had the problem you're having. im doing just okay, if every hay is kept within stables, there's gonna be real struggle acquiring them back for building purposes. just place the haystack real close to the stables, and wells in between 2 stables

[677]

i played the game real smooth like below 30% workload (100+ population), raider cant kill any of my villagers and it bores me so bad, so i stopped playing now. waiting for new update to hyphen me up again

[Shampoo+3]

It's a known issue and supposed to be worked on for the next update. For now your best bet might be trying to keep a low workload during winter, setting stables to high priority, having wells and haystacks rather close to stables and prioritise the other lifestock over cattle.
Also check out this thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/858810/discussions/0/1744516107487267981/

[South Buffalo Buzz]

No offense, but I get a little annoyed at comments that say, basically, "that's the way it is, I have no problem, if you do it this way" blah blah. This game is great, don't get me wrong, but there are some things that are seriously out of whack. This is one of them. The fact that storing straw in the mangers is not implemented makes the scenario unrealistic. A game like this should strive to be realistic, not just to be 'playable'. I didn't say I had a 'problem', 677, I said it would be better if the straw was stored in the manger before in the haystack. Perhaps that wasn't specific enough, but I didn't say it couldn't be used for building. Storage is storage. I live in the middle of a lot of farmland. If you suggested to any of my neighbors that they had to send their kids out in zero degree weather to carry armloads of hay out to the cows, they'd think you were demented. Sacrifice my kids to feed the cows? What a concept. And, what the hell are all those storage slots in the stables for anyway, if they can never be used for anything?

[South Buffalo Buzz]

Shampoo+3, having read the thread you suggest, and as a software developer for over 40 years myself, I think there is a real issue with this in the code. And I don't think it's such a big problem as it's being made out to be. Without access to the source code, my hacker brain says, if you just address the issue of storage priority - make the straw store first in the stables and then in the haystack - almost all the issues in that thread will resolve. The only possible issue that remains is the one about allowing retrieval of straw for building. But if storage in mangers is treated the same as any other storage, same as the diff between storing in huts and storing in storage huts, meaning no diff at all... it shouldn't matter. If you have meat overflowing in the granary, and it ends up in a hut, the folks just go to the hut to get the meat when they're hungry. What's the big deal? If someone wants straw to build a building, just have them get it in the reverse priority of the storage. Go to haystack first, then - perhaps - storage hut, then stable. But... I also think there's a problem in the stable 'object' (primitive?) that prevents use of all the storage slots. That's where you need to look for a bug. Again, that's a 'zen' analysis on code I don't have, but based on what I see happening in the game, probably not far off. Stable has a bug, and storage priority needs an adjust.

And yes, I do live in farm country. With actual cows who live in actual barns and eat actual hay. The loft over the barn stores enough hay for the winter. If you don't stock up in the fall, cows die. Simple as that. Make it so. People have been farming for millennia. It's not a new problem. People understood that even in the neolithic.

[Shampoo+3]

Storage priority seems like a possibility of solving that problem, however as you pointed out it might interfere with straw demand for building and maintaining buildings. Also note, your livestock will be fed with grain, when your're our of straw, but you can't use straw for buildings. Another possibility might be adding an option to stables that allows you to set how much straw/water is supposed to be stored in them. I don't know how it's going to be solved, but the next update (in march) should be mostly about farming and include a fix on the stable issues. I'm not one of those chosen people who have no issue with this so my way of dealing with this right now is not having cattle. A bit of starvation still happens sometimes, especially in the northland scenario.
I hope some workaround works for you and we'll have an easier time after the next update.

[buds]

Probably the devs coded it to store the straws in haystacks as they have to be dried first?

Though some goes to other storages especially huts because the villager wanted to get necessities from the huts and with the code it’s either stored there or dropped when the villagers shelter or rest.

Also it seems more realistic that they bring the straw to feed the animals in the beginning than feeding them automatically from beginning unrealistically (if straws are stored first in the stables), then onwards without manpower to regulate consumption?

[Wtan6290]

Originally posted by 677:

i played the game real smooth like below 30% workload (100+ population), raider cant kill any of my villagers and it bores me so bad, so i stopped playing now. waiting for new update to hyphen me up again

yeah I’ve been waiting for an update for a long time already. I need new quality content to play more better

[Lysara159]

I agree with you South Buffalo Buzz. I would prefer more items be stored in the stables for the animals. Some reasons are the stable master would not have to gather items for each animal and because the stables have a lower decay rate than the hay stack. The stables have the same boost as the upgraded storage buildings which is 2.5 boost. The hay stack is only 1.5 boost. This means less farming is needed because the decay rate is lowered. The upgraded stables are much better than haystacks.

[korac]

A stable is not a barn. Grain and straw are not (nor were they intended to be) stored in stables - those slots are there purely to feed animals during winter, which they will only do 'as needed' and in small quantities - a bit more will be placed in there whenever the feed icon appears above a particular stable. It's down to you to make sure that straw is stored close by every winter, such as in a haystack, and that wells are available nearby for watering the animals.

It's possible to build your own straw storage 'barn' near your stables, if the decay rate on a haystack bugs you so much. Just build a storage hut / warehouse there and restrict it to holding materials only, and don't provide haystacks. Assuming your stables / 'barn' aren't located miles away from your fields, you'd be surprised how much straw will end up in there.

[Gorby]

The other problem is that those 8 storage slots in the stables aren't just for straw/grain, they also hold the water the animals drink.