Mooove Over! Your Guide to Building a Booming Cattle Empire in Banished
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So, you’re aiming to beef up your Banished settlement with some bovine goodness? Excellent choice! Cattle can be a fantastic asset, providing both food and a sustainable resource for your growing population. The path to a thriving herd involves a little patience, a touch of trade savvy, and a good understanding of the game’s mechanics. Let’s dive in!
The short answer is this: You acquire more cows in Banished primarily through trading and breeding. You’ll need to purchase at least two cattle from the trading post to start your own herd and placing them in a cattle pasture. From there, careful management and time will result in a growing herd that can sustain your people.
Acquiring Your First Cows: The Trading Post is Your Friend
Since Banished doesn’t allow you to start with cattle, your first stop is always the trading post. Here’s the breakdown:
- Building the Trading Post: You’ll need resources (wood and stone) and a clear area near a navigable river. The placement is crucial, as traders arrive by water.
- Setting Up Your Trade Order: Once built, access the trading post menu. You’ll need to “Add Order” and select “Livestock.” Choose “Cattle.”
- The Cost of Entry: Be prepared to pay a hefty price. Cattle are the most expensive livestock in the game, often costing between 800-1000 units of resources per head.
- What to Trade: Stockpile resources like firewood, tools, stone, or excess food. Firewood is usually a reliable trading commodity that you can automate via woodcutters.
- The Waiting Game: Traders arrive periodically. The goods they offer are random. Keep an eye on the trading post, and when a trader offers cattle, snatch them up! Always buy at least two cows to ensure breeding.
Building Your Pasture and Breeding Your Herd
With your initial cattle in hand (or hoof!), you need a proper place to house and breed them.
- Pasture Placement: Build a pasture in a suitable location. Ideally, it should be relatively flat and close to your storage barns to minimize travel time for your herdsmen.
- Pasture Size: While you can experiment, a size of 16×15 or 15×16 is a good starting point. This size can comfortably hold a decent number of cattle. Remember that a fully stocked cattle pasture can hold around 16 cattle.
- Assigning Livestock: Select the pasture and assign the livestock type to “Cattle.”
- Assigning Herdsmen: Assign at least one herdsman to the pasture. Two is often optimal for a fully stocked pasture. Herdsmen care for the animals, preventing disease and ensuring they breed effectively.
- Patience is Key: Cattle reproduce at a slower rate compared to other livestock, doubling roughly every 36 months. Don’t expect an explosion in population overnight.
Optimizing Your Cattle Production
- Pasture Management: Keep an eye on your pasture’s capacity. If it’s overcrowded, consider building another pasture and splitting the herd (which requires a minimum herd size of 10).
- Health is Wealth: Healthy cattle are productive cattle. Ensure your citizens have a varied diet to boost their overall health, which indirectly benefits your livestock.
- Butchering Strategically: Slaughtering cattle yields a significant amount of food (200 units per animal). However, avoid butchering too many at once, especially when building your herd. Maintain a healthy breeding population.
- Trading Excess Cattle: Once your herd is thriving, you can trade surplus cattle for other valuable resources, creating a sustainable economic cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Cattle in Banished
1. What’s the best pasture size for cattle?
A pasture size of 16×15 or 15×16 is optimal for cattle. Experiment with slightly different shapes to fit your terrain.
2. How many herdsmen do I need per pasture?
One herdsman is sufficient for a smaller herd, but two are recommended for larger, fully stocked pastures.
3. Why are my cattle not breeding?
Several factors can affect breeding: insufficient food for the population (including herdsmen), disease outbreaks, or not having at least two cattle in the pasture.
4. Can I change the animal type in a pasture?
Yes, but only when the pasture is completely empty. If you have other livestock in a pasture, they would have to be moved to another pasture before you can change the animal type.
5. How do I prevent disease in my cattle?
Maintaining a healthy population (through a varied diet) and ensuring your herdsmen are well-equipped with tools can help prevent disease. Also, it’s a good idea to avoid placing pastures too close to cemeteries, or other sources of pollution.
6. Is cattle farming worth the investment?
Yes! While cattle are expensive to acquire initially, they provide a sustainable food source and can be traded for other valuable resources.
7. What’s the difference between cattle and sheep in Banished?
Cattle reproduce slower but yield more food per animal when butchered. Sheep reproduce faster and also provide wool.
8. How do I split my cattle herd?
Build a new pasture and assign cattle to it. Then, select the original pasture and use the “Split Herd” option. This will move half the cattle to the new pasture, provided the herd size is at least 10.
9. What if the trader never offers cattle?
Keep trading! The trader’s inventory is random. Increase the volume of your trades to encourage more frequent visits.
10. Can I move cattle between pastures?
Yes, by using the “Split Herd” function.
11. What happens if my herdsmen die?
Your cattle are at risk of disease and reduced breeding rates. Replace the herdsmen as quickly as possible.
12. How does terrain affect pasture effectiveness?
Relatively flat terrain is best. Steep slopes can reduce the pasture’s usable area and efficiency.
13. Do cattle need water?
No, water is not explicitly a requirement for cattle in Banished.
14. Can I automate cattle slaughtering?
No, you manually control when to slaughter cattle via the pasture menu. This allows for strategic herd management.
15. How much food do I get from one cow?
Butchering a cow yields 200 units of food.
Conclusion
Building a thriving cattle operation in Banished takes time and careful management, but the rewards are well worth the effort. From securing your initial livestock through strategic trading to carefully managing your pastures and herdsmen, every step contributes to a sustainable and bountiful food source for your settlement. Good luck, and may your pastures be ever full! The Games Learning Society recognizes the intricate systems and strategic thinking that games like Banished foster. Learn more about their work at GamesLearningSociety.org.