How to Stop Cows From Eating All Your Grass in Stardew Valley
In Stardew Valley, maintaining a healthy supply of grass for your livestock, particularly cows, can sometimes feel like a losing battle. These adorable herbivores, while providing valuable resources like milk, are also quite adept at mowing down your pastures. The good news is, there are several effective strategies to ensure your cows have enough to eat without completely depleting your farm’s green spaces. The primary solution lies in understanding the mechanics of grass growth and animal feeding, and then using a few clever in-game tactics. The most straightforward answer is this: you can effectively manage grass consumption by strategically placing fences over grass patches, growing grass under fences, and employing the “fence-over-grass” glitch. This combination allows for consistent grass growth and ensures that your cows have something to graze on without wiping out the entire field. Let’s dive into the details.
Strategic Fencing for Grass Management
The “Fence Over Grass” Technique
This is the cornerstone of sustainable grass management in Stardew Valley. The core idea is to place a fence post or any other similar object (like a lightning rod) directly on top of a grass starter. This may sound counterintuitive, but it actually allows the grass to grow outward without being consumed by your animals. The cows (or any other grazing animal) will only eat the grass that grows around the fenced patch, not the one directly underneath the fence.
How to Execute the Fence Trick
- Plant Grass Starters: Begin by scattering grass starters across the area you want to convert into a grazing pasture.
- Place Fences: After planting, immediately place fence posts directly on top of some (but not all) of the grass starters. You don’t need to cover all of them, but covering some patches is crucial to ensuring continuous growth.
- Observe and Expand: Watch as the grass grows outward from beneath the fences, creating a sustainable grazing area. As your pastures grow, make adjustments as needed.
Benefits of This Method
- Continuous Growth: The fenced grass patch acts as a “seed” that continuously spreads and regrows, even after being grazed upon.
- Animal Satisfaction: The grass outside the fence is available for your cows to eat.
- Reduced Hay Dependency: By providing consistent pasture, you’ll rely less on hay, saving you money and time on gathering it.
Growing Grass Underneath Fences
Another extremely effective method is to actively grow grass underneath fences. While most players might believe that fences stop grass growth, that is not true. You can plant grass starters right up against a fence and then have the grass grow out. This area is inaccessible to your livestock. When combined with the fence-over-grass method, this can help create a truly sustainable and vibrant pasture system.
Understanding Grass, Hay, and Animal Feeding
It’s also crucial to understand the connection between grass, hay, and how your animals feed.
Grass vs. Hay
- Grass: The primary food source for your animals when they are allowed to graze outside. It’s free and easily renewable when managed properly.
- Hay: A processed feed that’s needed when no grass is available, such as during winter, or when animals are kept indoors. You make hay by using a scythe on long grass after a silo has been built.
Animal Feeding Basics
- Grazing: When allowed outside, animals prioritize eating grass.
- Hay as a Backup: If no grass is available, animals will consume hay from the feeders inside their barns and coops.
- Automatic Feeding: If you purchase the autofeeder for your barn or coop, hay will be automatically dispensed as needed.
The Importance of a Silo
You must have a silo built on your farm to be able to harvest grass into hay. The silo allows you to cut tall grass with your scythe to store it. The hay will be automatically moved to your barn.
Advanced Strategies and Considerations
Utilizing Paths and Other Structures
While fences are effective at controlling grass growth, you can also use paths, closed gates, or furniture to block the spread of grass and create designated areas. This will help you define your farm space better, but you cannot grow grass underneath these items.
The Role of the Golden Clock
For long-term sustainability, acquiring the Golden Clock from the Wizard will drastically reduce the maintenance needed for your farm. It prevents fences from decaying and also stops weeds and debris from spawning. This effectively increases the lifespan of your fences, letting you manage grass growth far more efficiently.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
- Cutting Tall Grass Too Soon: Don’t cut all the tall grass before building a silo. This tall grass is only useful when it can be stored as hay.
- Ignoring Animal Happiness: Ensure your cows have sufficient food. A cow that is not fed will not produce milk the next day, and a cow that is unhappy also has a chance of not producing.
Planning for Winter
Remember that grass does not grow during winter. Plan to stock up on hay before the season arrives. Once winter hits, all grass will be dead and gone until spring.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I completely stop my cows from eating all the grass?
While you can’t completely stop them from eating grass, using the fence-over-grass technique allows you to create sustainable pastures. You can ensure grass continues to grow, providing an endless food source.
2. Do all animals eat grass in Stardew Valley?
Yes, all farm animals, including cows, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, and pigs, will eat grass if they have access to it.
3. Does grass spread if animals don’t eat it?
Yes, grass will naturally spread as long as there are no obstacles like paths or other constructions preventing it.
4. Can I grow grass indoors?
No, grass only grows on the outdoor parts of your farm.
5. Do my animals eat crops if they’re loose?
No, your animals will not eat your crops if they are wandering around your farm. They will only eat grass.
6. Can animals be injured or killed if left outside unprotected?
No, animals are completely safe if left outside. They are not threatened by any outside forces.
7. Is there a way to automate grass planting?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to automate planting grass starters. You have to manually plant them.
8. Do fences decay in Stardew Valley?
Yes, fences made of wood decay relatively quickly, while stone, metal, and hardwood fences decay much slower. The Golden Clock will prevent all fence decay.
9. Does it matter what kind of fence I use for the grass glitch?
Most fence types will work for the fence-over-grass technique, including wood, stone, and metal. However, certain fence types may have some very slight variations in efficiency, like stone fences.
10. How do I know how much hay to store for winter?
A good rule of thumb is to store at least one hay per animal per day for the entire winter.
11. Do chickens need to eat grass?
Yes, chickens will eat grass if allowed outside of their coops.
12. What should be the first thing I build on my farm?
The Silo. This allows you to harvest hay to feed your animals.
13. Is the grass “glitch” considered cheating?
It is not really a glitch, but rather an exploit of the game mechanics that many players use. The game designers have not made it impossible to do, so many consider it to be an intended part of the game.
14. What does the Golden Clock do?
The Golden Clock prevents debris from spawning on your farm, prevents fence decay, and also prevents weeds from appearing on the farm, making it a fantastic end-game item.
15. How does mood affect my animal’s milk output?
Animals that have a lower mood have a chance of not producing their product the next day, while happy animals are guaranteed to produce, and sometimes provide higher-quality products.
By understanding these mechanics and applying these strategies, you can ensure that your cows are well-fed, happy, and productive, all while maintaining the beauty of your Stardew Valley farm.