Overview
Chickens are the second livestock species unlocked in Starsand Island, available at the Junior Rancher tier alongside Ducks. They are purchased from Pastelle at Green Pasture Ranch for 300 Coins each, or occasionally found in the wild by chopping trees and bushes. Chickens are housed in Chicken Coops and produce Eggs, Feathers, and Chicken Claws daily. Their defining feature is Pest Control: each chicken clears up to 5 bugs per day from nearby crops, making them a valuable addition to any active farm.
Quick Reference
Detail | Value |
|---|---|
Purchase Price | 300 Coins |
Housing | Chicken Coop (blueprint from Green Pasture Ranch) |
Rancher Tier | |
Products | Eggs, Feathers, Chicken Claw, Giant Eggs (at 150+ happiness), Poop |
Feed | Chicken Feed (purchased from Pastelle or crafted at the Feeder) |
Special Ability | Pest Control (clears up to 5 bugs/day from farmland) |
Max per Enclosure | 4 |
Rideable | No |
Variants
There are four chicken variants in Starsand Island. The Common Chicken is available for purchase and can sometimes be found in the wild. Ink Chickens are occasionally found wild as well. The Golden Chicken is breeding-exclusive.
Variant | Rarity | How to Obtain | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Common Chicken | Common | Purchase (300 Coins) or found in the wild | A common chicken with brown feathers. Clears up to 5 bugs per day from farmland. |
Rare | Breeding (Common + Common) | A rare subspecies with pearl-like white spots. Clears up to 5 bugs per day from farmland. | |
Rare | Breeding (Common + Common) or found wild | A rare subspecies with jet-black feathers. Clears up to 5 bugs per day from farmland. | |
Super Rare | Breeding (Common + Ink, or Common + Pearl) | A super rare mutated chicken with golden shimmering feathers. Clears up to 15 bugs per day, three times the standard rate. |
The Ink Chicken can appear as a mutation when breeding two Common Chickens and is sometimes found in the wild. The Pearl Chicken is also obtained by breeding two Common Chickens but is breeding-exclusive. The Golden Chicken is the super rare variant, obtainable by breeding a Common Chicken with an Ink Chicken, or a Common Chicken with a Pearl Chicken. The Golden Chicken's 15 bugs/day pest control rate makes it three times more effective than standard chickens.
Products
Chickens produce several byproducts collected from the Chicken Coop. Product quality scales with the chicken's happiness level.
Product | Source | Usage |
|---|---|---|
All variants (daily, when fed and petted) | Processing and cooking ingredient. Used in many cooking recipes (Fried Egg, Black Tea Macaron, Golden Fried Rice, etc.) and as NPC gifts. | |
Feather | All variants (daily, alongside eggs) | Crafting material. Used in various crafting recipes at the Worktable. |
Chicken Claw | All variants | Bounty item. Described in-game as "a little curved hook on a chicken's ankle." Used for quests and Bulletin Board requests. |
All variants (at 150+ happiness) | Bounty item. Produced when a chicken reaches high happiness. Required for the Junior Rancher certification quest. | |
Poop | All variants (daily) | Fertilizer material. Processed in the Fertilizer Box for crop growth. |
Pest Control
Chickens automatically eat bugs that appear on nearby crops, providing free pest control with no manual intervention. Standard chickens (Common, Pearl, Ink) clear up to 5 bugs per day each. The Golden Chicken clears up to 15 bugs per day, making it three times more effective.
Position Chicken Coops close to your crop fields to maximize pest control coverage. Trellis crops are especially vulnerable to bugs, so placing coops near trellises is the most effective strategy. A full Chicken Coop with four standard chickens can clear up to 20 bugs per day.
For a comprehensive guide to managing crop pests alongside weeds and diseases, see Weeds and Pest Management.
Giant Eggs
Giant Eggs are a special product that chickens (and ducks) produce when they reach 150 or higher happiness. They are classified as a bounty item and are required for the Junior Rancher certification quest. Reaching 150 happiness requires consistent daily care: feeding, petting, and regular brushing to prevent the Messy status.
Giant Eggs do not replace regular egg production. When a chicken is happy enough to produce Giant Eggs, it will sometimes produce a Giant Egg in place of its regular egg for that day.
Care and Feeding
Chickens follow the standard animal care routine. Consistent daily care is essential for maintaining egg production and reaching the 150 happiness threshold for Giant Eggs.
Task | Details |
|---|---|
Feeding | Chicken Feed, purchased from Pastelle at Green Pasture Ranch or crafted at the Feeder. Pastelle provides 2 free bags of chicken feed daily. |
Brushing | Use a Brush or Cleaning Pod every few days. The "Messy" status reduces happiness and can halt egg production. |
Petting | Required daily for egg production. Chickens that are not petted will not lay eggs, even if fed and happy. |
Happiness | At 150+ happiness, chickens produce Giant Eggs. Higher happiness also improves product quality (star rating) for all byproducts. |
Breeding
Chicken breeding requires one male and one female chicken in the same Chicken Coop with at least one open space. Breeding occurs overnight, once per day. Use the Breeding House (3,500 Coins, Intermediate Rancher) to isolate specific pairs.
Known breeding paths for chicken variants:
Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
Breed two Common Chickens together. Random mutation chance. Breeding-exclusive. | |
Breed two Common Chickens together. Random mutation chance. Breeding-exclusive. | |
Breed Common + Ink, or Common + Pearl. Very rare result, estimated at roughly 1% chance per attempt. |
Start by breeding Commons until you obtain Ink and Pearl variants, then cross-breed Common + Ink or Common + Pearl for the Golden Chicken. Be prepared for many attempts, as the Golden Chicken is one of the rarest breeding results in the game.
DNA Traits
Chickens inherit DNA traits from their parents. Key traits to prioritize for productive chickens:
Trait | Effect |
|---|---|
Workaholic | Increased daily work cycles (more bug clearing) |
Twins | 30% chance for multiple offspring when breeding |
Precocial | Growth period reduced by 1 day |
Strong | Breeding cooldown reduced by 1 day |
Optimism | 50% happiness boost chance, reduces brushing needs |
Avoid keeping chickens with the Pride trait (cannot be petted), as petting is required for egg production. A chicken with Pride will never lay eggs.
Tips
Place Chicken Coops near trellis crops for automatic pest control. Trellis crops are the most vulnerable to bugs.
Pet your chickens every day. Without petting, chickens stop producing eggs entirely, even if well-fed.
The Junior Rancher quest requires Giant Eggs from chickens at 150+ happiness. Keep your chickens well-fed, clean, and petted daily to reach this threshold.
Golden Chickens are extremely rare (roughly 1% chance). Breed Common + Ink pairs and be patient.
Never keep chickens with the Pride trait for egg production, since they cannot be petted and petting is required for eggs.
Eggs are a key ingredient in Cow Feed and many cooking recipes. Keep a healthy flock to ensure a steady supply.
A single Golden Chicken (15 bugs/day) can replace three regular chickens for pest control purposes.