Straw is a problem!

[Psycho]

You can only obtain straw from planting grain crops or occasionally a small amount from traders. It's required for construction and to feed livestock during the winter. The problem is, you can't plant enough without using your entire workforce spring and fall. There needs to be a a better solution.

[Mk Z]

maybe your herd is too big. i have 130 animals in my 200 population village and a lot of excess straw which i sell. workload never exceeds 40%

[Psycho]

I just about quit trying to keep livestock as I ran out of straw before winter was over. In the real world, straw would be everywhere and mainly just labor to obtain it. I wound up getting rid of my livestock so I would have straw for construction and repair.

[Mk Z]

Originally posted by Psycho:

I just about quit trying to keep livestock as I ran out of straw before winter was over. In the real world, straw would be everywhere and mainly just labor to obtain it. I wound up getting rid of my livestock so I would have straw for construction and repair.

ofc it would be great to have an option to mow meadows for hay
straw is a specific term for the cereals' stalks

as for me i think space for the stables is more limited than straw

[Sandor]

Better tool quality and the harvest of everything is faster.I used to have same problem now they cut that grain quick and have plenty of time to pick up.Same for all tools quicker mining fishing hunting etc = more time to get things done.

[Mk Z]

besides better tools, settlement plan is essential
location of granaries, fields and houses, wells and totems -- all should be optimized to minimize walking times

[Psycho]

I will try better tools and see if that help me to

[madcatwildcat]

what plant will get straw?

[Sandor]

All the grain give straw but barley has the biggest chance to give extra straw.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by Sandor:

All the grain give straw but barley has the biggest chance to give extra straw.

How do you know this? I've been planting all grain crops on the assumption there's some difference, or point to doing that. So far, I've not found any info on the different crops.

To the OP. I think basically you're doing something wrong. I've had problems with straw too, but it's because I've not had enough tools, or good enough tools mainly. It's best not to give them other tasks, like building during Autumn, so they can get it in. You could also try slaughtering some of the animals, if you think you'll run out anyway.

[wcbarney]

Originally posted by Leland Stottlemeyer:

Originally posted by Sandor:

All the grain give straw but barley has the biggest chance to give extra straw.

How do you know this? I've been planting all grain crops on the assumption there's some difference, or point to doing that. So far, I've not found any info on the different crops.

Click on one of your planted grain crops; in the upper-right corner click on the "?;" you will read that one of the first available grains, Emmer, has a 25% chance of yielding extra grain. Barley (or is it rye?) has a 25% chance of yielding extra straw.

[General Malaise]

My biggest problem is managing animals. I need a screen, where I can choose the maximum of any animal, and then which ones to slaughter when it reaches that amount.

There may be a way to do this, but I'm not aware of it. Most of my game time up to now, is clicking on Sheep to slaughter them, so they don't force cows(for example) out of the Stable.

They breed like mad, when you've got over 40, and they're hard to control. They do give me currency though, to buy stuff from the traders, 'cos I've always got lots of wool spare.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by wcbarney:

Originally posted by Leland Stottlemeyer:

How do you know this? I've been planting all grain crops on the assumption there's some difference, or point to doing that. So far, I've not found any info on the different crops.

Click on one of your planted grain crops; in the upper-right corner click on the "?;" you will read that one of the first available grains, Emmer, has a 25% chance of yielding extra grain. Barley has a 25% chance of yielding extra straw.

Thanks, I'd not noticed that. Very helpful.

[Sandor]

Yea barley give +50% to give extra straw

[Fishpickles]

I always find that if i am having issues harvesting or planting all crops, it's because i don't have enough people.
In your situation, i would slaughter animals so that i have enough straw to make more houses, then once my pop is higher, and sowing/harvesting goes quick, let the animal pop grow again.

[LegionOfOne]

Originally posted by Leland Stottlemeyer:

My biggest problem is managing animals. I need a screen, where I can choose the maximum of any animal, and then which ones to slaughter when it reaches that amount.

There is such a screen, thankfully ! Try F4 I think, or one of the Fs at any rate.
This is a screen that allows you to set production limits for every item and livestock, you can set absolute numbers or in % of your population.
These limits are very useful for automated production : when you right-click on something in a production building, you enable auto-production up to the limit defined in that previous screen. For livestock it will auto-slaughter the oldest animals, while keeping enough males and females (usually 30%-70%).
I don"t know how you can even play without this.
I never give direct orders, except to hunt and to tame animals. Automation works rather well when you use the production limits, and the high priority settings, and you set up enough work areas that allow several workers at once.

Try all the F keys from F1 to F8, they all have useful screens to show.
Also the 1-4 right below control the speed, and 5-9 have info screens too.


For straw, I usually start with a lot of barley, and set the fields to high priority.
Another crucial step is to set the production of sickles to at least 75% of population, so everyone can participate.
In the beginning I don't have enough population to farm all the fields, and I have to keep small herds. As soon as they farm without problem I plant new fields, and I wait until I can end a winter with some straw left to launch a lot of construction.

A good moment to start construction is mid-winter, when you still have more than enough straw to feed your animals for an entire winter. When I start earlier, I sometimes don't leave enough straw, or repairs eat up what I had planned to feed my cattle.
Better safe than starving...

Hope it helps.