🐔 Animals & Livestock
Project Zomboid Build 42 introduced a complete livestock and animal system. Raising domestic animals is essential for long-term food sustainability.
Why raise animals? Domestic animals provide renewable resources — eggs, milk, wool — without having to hunt. In the long run, they're the best sustainable protein source in the game.
Overview of Domestic Animals
| Animal | Main Product | Secondary Product | Difficulty | Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🐔 Chicken | Eggs (daily) | Meat, Feathers | Easy | Small (Hutch) |
| 🐄 Cow | Milk (daily) | Meat, Leather | Medium | Large (Grass) |
| 🐖 Pork | Meat (high quantity) | Leather | Easy | Medium |
| 🐑 Sheep | Wool (monthly) | Meat, Milk | Medium | Medium-Large |
| 🐇 Rabbit | Meat | Skin | Easy | Small |
| 🦃 Turkey | Meat (a lot) | Feathers | Medium | Medium |
🐔 Chickens
Chickens are the most accessible and productive animal at the beginning of the game.
Life Cycle
Chick
Born from a fertilized egg. It needs heat and food. It lasts a few days until it turns into chicken.
Young Chicken
Growth phase. Consumes food, grows to sexual maturity. Does not produce eggs yet.
Adult Hen (Hen)
Produces eggs daily if there is a rooster for fertilization. It will continue producing throughout its useful life.
Cockerel
Fertilizes chicken eggs. Required for reproduction. 1 rooster for up to 5–8 hens.
Chicken Breeds
| Race | Specialty | Strong Genes | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island Red | Egg laying | eggSize, fertility, stress | Best for egg farm. High production. |
| Leghorn | High posture | eggSize, maxWeight | Bigger and more frequent eggs. Industry standard. |
| Plymouth Rock | Double function | meatRatio, fertility | Good for eggs AND meat. Versatile. |
| Sussex | Resistance | resistance, hungerResistance | Very robust. Survives well in adverse conditions. |
Chicken Coop (Hutch)
| Type | Capacity | Construction |
|---|---|---|
| Small Hutch | 2–4 chickens | 6× Plank, 4× Nail, 2× Wire — Carpentry 3 |
| Medium Hutch | 6–10 chickens | 12× Plank, 8× Nail, 4× Wire — Carpentry 4 |
| Large Hutch | 12–20 chickens | 20× Plank, 12× Nail, 8× Wire — Carpentry 5 |
Chicken Care
- Feed Chicken feed, corn, wheat, or foraged worms. Feed daily.
- Water Make sure the coop has clean water available.
- Stress Chickens with high stress produce fewer eggs. Keep them safe from predators.
- Reproduction To have chicks, you need 1 rooster and fertile hens. Unfertilized eggs are edible but do not reproduce.
- Predators Foxes and raccoons (raccoons) attack unprotected chicken coops. Surround the area.
🐄 Cows
Cows are the animals with the greatest investment but also the highest return — daily milk and a huge amount of meat when slaughtered.
Cow Products
🥛 Milk
Milked 1–2x per day. Produces 5–15 liters depending on breed and genetics. Milk used for cheese, butter, yogurt and cooking.
🥩 Meat
A slaughtered cow produces 50–200 kg of meat (depending on weight). Huge protein return at once.
🧴 Leather
High quality leather — thicker than that of small animals. Used on advanced leather armor.
🌱 Fertilizer
Cow manure as organic fertilizer for the farm. Excellent for large plantations.
Cow Breeds
| Breed | Specialty | Milk Production | Body Mass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holstein | Milk — maximum production | Very High | Medium-High |
| Angus | Beef — maximum mass | Low | Very High |
| Jersey | High-fat milk | High | Low |
| Hereford | Dual function | Medium | High |
Space and Care
- Pasto Grande Cows need significant area. Build wooden or metal fences around pasture.
- Food Dry grass or hay. Supplement with corn and wheat in winter.
- Milking Use Bucket on the cow. Skill Farming helps optimize milking.
- Reproduction Needs a bull. A pregnant cow takes months to give birth.
🐖 Pigs
Pigs are the most efficient at converting feed to meat. They will eat just about anything, including spoiled food.
Advantages of Pigs
- Omnivores Eat spoiled food, scraps, discarded vegetables — saves feed.
- High Meat Very high meatRatio — excellent meat yield per slaughter.
- Rapid Growth Reach maximum weight faster than cows.
- Bacon! Source of bacon — one of the best foods in the game for calories and lipids.
Pig Breeds
| Race | Highlight | Strong Gene |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | Fast growing | ageToGrow, maxWeight |
| Berkshire | Meat quality | meatRatio, maxSize |
| Duroc | Resistance | resistance, hungerResistance |
| Hampshire | Dual function meat/fat | meatRatio, maxWeight |
🐑 Sheep
Sheep are unique in that they produce wool — essential for advanced sewing and winter clothing.
Sheep Products
🧶Wool
Sheared periodically (1–2x per year). Wool → Wool Yarn → Knitted clothing. Essential for sweaters and handcrafted winter clothing.
🥛 Sheep's Milk
Less than cow but of high quality. Can be used for sheep's cheese — better flavor, reduces haziness.
🥩 Meat (Mutton)
When slaughtered. Lamb meat has good protein and nutritional value.
Sheep Breeds
| Breed | Featured | Wool by Shearing |
|---|---|---|
| Merino | Highest quality wool | Very High |
| Rambouillet | Fine and resistant wool | High |
| Suffolk | Meat + wool (dual purpose) | Medium |
| Dorset | High fertility, easy breeding | Average |
🐇 Rabbits
Rabbits are small but reproduce extremely quickly — great for intense short-term meat production.
Characteristics of Rabbits
- Rapid Reproduction A female can have layers within weeks. Exponential growth.
- Minimum Space Small — fits in small hutches or even adapted boxes.
- Simple Food Vegetables, grass, carrots, lettuce. Easy to feed.
- Fur Rabbit fur — lightweight and useful for smaller garments.
Important Rabbit Genes
| Gene | Function | Optimization |
|---|---|---|
| fertility | How many offspring per layer | Maximize for rapid herd growth |
| ageToGrow | Growth speed | Slower = faster to slaughter |
| meatRatio | Percentage of meat per animal | Maximize for greater yield |
| maxWeight | Maximum attainable weight | Larger = more total meat per animal |
🦃 Turkeys
Turkeys produce a large amount of meat per slaughter, but take longer to grow.
Turkeys vs. Chickens
| Appearance | Chicken | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous production | ✅ Daily eggs | ❌ Only meat when slaughtered |
| Meat per animal | Medium | Very High |
| Space Required | Small | Medium-Large |
| Difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Best for | Continuous self-sustainment | Large sporadic slaughter |
🦌 Wild Animals
| Animal | Behavior | Product When Slaughtered | Danger |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦌 Deer | Passive. Run away when you see the player. Foraged or hunted. | Venison (2–8 kg), Leather, Head | None |
| 🦝 Raccoon | Nocturnal. Attacks chicken coops and farms at night. | Small meat, Skin | Destroys chicken coops and fields if not protected |
| 🐁 Rat | Ubiquitous. Contaminates stored food. | Minimal meat (emergency) | Contaminates food supplies! |
| 🐭 Mouse | Similar to the mouse. Captured in traps. | Minimal meat | Minor inventory contamination |
| 🐇 Wild Rabbit | Passive. Caught in wire traps. | Meat, Skin | None |
| 🦃 Wild Turkey | Passive. Hunted with a bow or large trap. | Lots of meat, Feathers | None |
Protection from Predators: Raccoons are the biggest threat to farms. Surround chicken coops with electric or metal fencing. Place traps around to catch them before they attack.
🧬 Genetics System
Each animal has genes that are inherited and can be optimized through selective breeding.
Selective Breeding: Choose animals with the best genes for reproduction. With several generations, you can create an elite herd with production far superior to the initial wild animals.
Universal Genes
| Gene | Description | High Impact | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| maxSize | Maximum body size | Highest total meat at slaughter | Meat farmers |
| meatRatio | % of body that is meat | More meat per kilo of animal | Meat farmers |
| maxWeight | Maximum weight achievable | More total products | All |
| lifeExpectancy | Lifespan of the animal | More production time | Milk, eggs |
| resistance | Disease resistance | Fewer unexpected deaths | All |
| strength | General strength | Better overall health | Everyone |
| hungerResistance | Feed efficiency | Less feed needed | All — especially winter |
| thirstResistance | Water efficiency | Less water needed | All |
| aggressiveness | Temperament | Less = easier to handle | Cows, pigs |
| ageToGrow | Growth speed | Less = reaches slaughter faster | Meat farmers |
| fertility | Reproduction rate | More puppies per offspring | Who wants to expand herd |
| stress | Susceptibility to stress | Less = more productive | Chickens, sheep |
| eggSize | Egg size (chicken) | Bigger eggs = more nutritious | Chickens |
Selective Breeding Strategy
- Capture multiple wild animals — the more animals, the greater the initial genetic diversity.
- Inspect the genes of each animal (requires Farming skill). Identify those with the best genes for your goal.
- Breed the best: Select the male and female with genes closest to the ideal for mating.
- Slaughter the weak: Animals with bad genes should not reproduce. Slaughter them to optimize the herd.
- Repeat for generations until you have an elite herd with genes close to maximum values.
🔪 Slaughter and Products
Products of Slaughter per Animal
| Animal | Meat | Leather/Skin | Others | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🐔 Chicken | Chicken (1–2 kg) | Feathers | Chicken Head, Blood | Knife (any) |
| 🐄 Cow | Beef Steak / Beef (50–200 kg) | Leather (large) | Cow Head, Blood, Hooves | Hunting Knife + Axe |
| 🐖 Pork | Pork / Bacon (30–100 kg) | Pig Skin | Pig Head, Blood | Hunting Knife |
| 🐑 Sheep | Mutton / Lamb (20–60 kg) | Sheepskin | Sheep Head, Blood | Hunting Knife |
| 🐇 Rabbit | Rabbit Meat (0.5–1.5 kg) | Rabbit Skin | Rabbit Head | Knife |
| 🦃 Turkey | Turkey Meat (5–15 kg) | Feathers | Turkey Head | Knife |
| 🦌 Deer | Venison (5–15 kg) | Deer Skin | Deer Head (trophy), Antlers | Hunting Knife |
Meat Processing
- Kill the animal with the appropriate tool (Hunting Knife for most).
- Remove the skin/leather first if you want to preserve it for sewing.
- Cut the meat into manageable pieces.
- Process immediately: Raw meat spoils quickly (2–4 days). Freeze, smoke or can.
- Preserve: Freezer (10×), smoking (5×), salting (2×) or canning (undefined).
🏡 Building the Ranch
A well-structured ranch is the key to long-term food self-sufficiency.
Recommended Ranch Layout
A complete and efficient ranch must have:
- Chicken Zone: Large hut + fenced area. Away from predators.
- Cow Pasture: Large fenced area with access to water. Close to milking.
- Stye (Pigs): Fenced, with feeding area. You can eat leftovers.
- Sheep Pasture: Fenced open area. Shearer nearby.
- Slaughter Area: Away from live animals. With table and equipment.
- Storage: Freezer, smoker, and canning area nearby.
- Plantation: For own feed — corn, wheat, oats.
Ranch Progression
Phase 1 (Week 1–2)
Capture 2–4 chickens. Assemble basic hutch. Eggs guarantee daily protein immediately.
Phase 2 (Week 2–4)
Add rabbits for extra meat. Plant corn and wheat for your own feed. Expand chicken coop.
Phase 3 (Month 2–3)
Add cow for daily milk. Build smoker and canning area. Sheep for wool.
Phase 4 (Month 4+)
Fully self-sufficient ranch. Elite selective breeding. Surplus for other players.