Feeder
Guide to the Feeder crafting machine in Starsand Island, used to produce animal feed for ranch animals.
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The Feeder is a crafting machine in Starsand Island that converts crops and raw ingredients into animal feed. It is an essential piece of equipment for anyone pursuing the Ranching profession, as all farm animals require daily feeding to stay healthy, happy, and productive.
Without a Feeder, there is no way to produce the feed that your ranch animals need. Keeping animals fed is not optional; unfed animals become unhappy, which directly reduces the quality and quantity of products they produce. The Feeder transforms surplus crops and other ingredients into compact feed bags that can be placed in animal troughs.
The Feeder is unlocked through the Ranching profession progression. It becomes available at the Beginner Rancher tier, making it one of the first ranching-specific machines you gain access to. This makes sense, as you cannot meaningfully raise animals without a way to feed them.
The blueprint is available from Pastelle at Green Pasture Ranch. Pastelle is the island's ranching mentor and sells all ranch-related blueprints and supplies. Visit her shop, purchase the Feeder blueprint, and then craft the machine at your Worktable.
The Feeder can produce different types of animal feed. The type and quality of feed you produce depends on the ingredients you use.
Feed Type | Ingredients | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Basic Feed | Meets minimum daily feeding requirements. Keeps animals at baseline happiness. | |
Premium Feed | Higher-quality ingredients and specialty crops | Increases animal happiness beyond baseline. Results in higher-quality animal products. |
Feed quality has a direct impact on what your animals produce. Animals fed with Premium Feed are happier and yield better products, whether that is higher-grade wool, larger eggs, richer milk, or more valuable truffles and honey. If you are trying to maximize your ranching profits, investing in Premium Feed ingredients is worth the extra cost.
Every ranch animal on the island depends on daily feeding. Here is how feed quality connects to the animals and their outputs.
Animal | Products | Feed Impact |
|---|---|---|
Eggs | Better feed increases egg quality and production frequency | |
Higher-quality feed yields richer milk for cooking recipes | ||
Premium feed improves wool grade for higher sell prices | ||
Truffles | Well-fed pigs find truffles more frequently | |
Bees benefit from nearby flower quality rather than direct feed |
Note that bees operate differently from other animals. They do not eat feed from troughs; instead, their honey production depends on the types and quality of flowers planted nearby. The Feeder is primarily used for livestock like chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs.
Animals need to be fed every day. The standard routine for ranch management is straightforward.
Produce feed at the Feeder using your stored crops.
Collect the finished feed bags from the Feeder's output.
Place feed into the animal troughs in each pen or barn.
Interact with your animals (petting them also raises happiness).
Collect any products they have produced (eggs, milk, wool, etc.).
Skipping a feeding day lowers animal happiness, which takes time to recover. Consistent daily feeding is the foundation of a successful ranch.
One helpful benefit for ranchers is that Pastelle gives out two free feed bags each day. You can collect these from her shop at Green Pasture Ranch. While two bags are not enough to sustain a large operation, they provide a useful supplement, especially in the early game when your crop surplus may be limited.
As your farm grows and you have more animals, you will need to rely on your own Feeder production rather than Pastelle's daily handout. Plan your crop planting schedule to ensure you always have enough ingredients for feed.
Feed quality plays a role in Breeding and Genetics as well. Well-fed parent animals are more likely to produce healthy offspring. If you are serious about breeding high-quality animals, maintaining a steady supply of Premium Feed is important. Happy, well-nourished parents tend to pass along better traits to their young.
Grow surplus crops for feed. Dedicate a section of your farm to crops specifically for feed production. Wheat and Corn are efficient choices because they grow quickly and produce large yields.
Upgrade your Feeder. Higher-tier Feeders process feed faster and may unlock Premium Feed recipes. Upgrade as your ranching operation grows.
Collect Pastelle's free feed daily. Even if you have a large operation, free resources are free resources. Visit Green Pasture Ranch each day.
Match feed to your goals. If you are selling animal products for profit, Premium Feed pays for itself through higher-quality outputs. If you just need basic resources, standard feed works fine.
Do not skip feeding days. Animal happiness drops quickly when they miss meals, and recovering it takes several days of consistent feeding. Prevention is easier than recovery.
Build multiple Feeders for large operations. If you have many animals, a single Feeder may not keep up with daily demand. Running two or three in parallel ensures you always have enough.
Ranching - Complete guide to raising animals
Green Pasture Ranch - Pastelle's shop and ranch location
Animals - All ranch animals on the island
Breeding and Genetics - How to breed and improve animal traits
Crops - Farming crops used as feed ingredients