A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 258 Raising Chickens
Putting Pam's visit behind him, Leon returned to the cabin, took the money, left the farm and headed straight for Marnie's ranch.

The chicken coop has been built, and Lyon would feel like he’d be missing out if he didn’t raise some chickens in it.

When they arrived at the coal forest, Leon walked along the path to Marnie's ranch. Without even entering the door, Leon saw the fenced ranch next to Marnie's house.

Unlike the few cows used as decorations in the game, the real Marnie Ranch basically has cows, sheep, rabbits and pigs. The huge ranch has abundant grass and a wide space. These animals stroll in the fenced pasture, occasionally lowering their heads to nibble on the grass, looking very leisurely.

Leon observed the nearest sheep. It was in very good spirits and there was no sign of dirt on its wool. It was as clean as a plush toy that had just left the factory. It was obvious that these animals were well taken care of by Marnie.

After having a preliminary and concrete impression of Marnie's care for animals, Leon knocked on the door.

"Oh, Leon, we've known each other for so long, but this is the first time I see you appear in my ranch. Is there anything wrong?" Mani opened the door and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw Leon, and then greeted Leon enthusiastically.

"I built a new chicken coop and wanted to buy some chicks from you to raise," Leon explained.

"I see. Please come in." Upon hearing this, Mani invited Leon into the house. Opposite the door was the business area of ​​Mani's ranch. Not only was it much larger than the one in the game, but in addition to haystacks, there were also various animal products sealed and placed on the shelves.

Piles of eggs, large jugs of cow and sheep milk, clean wool, large blocks of cheese, etc., show how rich the breeding output of Mani Ranch is.

"What would you like to drink, coffee or floral tea?" Looking at Leon looking at her shop, Mani smiled proudly and did not forget to treat Leon.

"No, I'll just buy a few chicks and then go back to take care of other things." Leon declined Marnie's offer and asked, "This is my first time raising animals, so can I learn from you how to take care of these cute little guys before I buy them?"

"Of course." Marnie nodded, then gestured for Leon to follow her.

Led by Mani, the two walked around the living room and dining room and entered the backyard. Here, Leon saw several chicken coops that were completely different from the ranch in front and similar to those on his own farm. The only difference was that these chicken coops were more than twice as big as the one on Leon's farm and looked much more imposing.

"I happen to have a batch of newly hatched chicks here. I can use them as a lesson on animal care. I hope it will be helpful to your breeding plan."

Marnie said as she opened the door of one of the chicken coops and led Leon inside.

This chicken coop is full of palm-sized chicks. These little guys with light yellow fur are all huddled together, looking very pleasing to the eye.

Mani looked at the little ones with a doting look on her face and said, "They are very cute, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Leon nodded. Indeed, few people could resist the charm of these furry little guys.

But this is only true for young chickens. Adult chickens are not so pleasing in appearance.

"In fact, caring for these little animals is no different from caring for children. In addition to feeding and watering them, your caressing them is also the main reason for their happiness. By keeping the animals emotionally stable, you can also reap rich rewards. For example, an adult hen that is very close to you can provide you with more, larger, and more nutritious eggs."

Mani patiently explained to Leon, and also used practical actions to teach Leon how to caress these little chicks.

Under Leon and Marnie's comfort, the chicks, who had originally huddled together for warmth, became more lively. They stopped hiding from Leon and Marnie and started rubbing against Marnie and Leon. "It seems that besides girls, Leon, you're also very popular with the animals," Marnie said with some surprise, looking at the chicks gathered around Leon.

She didn't expect that Leon just gently stroked the chicks once, and the chicks that were stroked by Leon became attached to him, resulting in the number of chicks surrounding Leon being more than that of her, the chicken owner who had been taking care of these chicks for more than two days.

"Maybe it's because I'm more charming." Leon joked with a smile.

Of course, this is all nonsense. Leon didn't even need to think to know the answer to why these chicks were so close to him. It was definitely because of the forest magic.

After all, the affinity of forest magic for animals is no joke. Even wild squirrels are not afraid of Leon, let alone these poultry that have been domesticated and raised by humans for generations.

"It seems that the most difficult level is no longer a problem for you. Then what you need to learn is feeding." Mani said, and then she stood up to show Leon how to feed these little chicks.

Unlike what Leon thought, the chicks were not eating hay, but white rice. Mani grabbed a handful of rice placed on the chicken coop shelf and scattered it on the ground. The chicks gathered in the area where the rice grains fell and began to peck at the food.

While the chicks were eating rice, Mani took Leon to a trough at the edge of the chicken coop, pointed at it and said, "Is your chicken coop also built by Robin? If so, you don't have to worry about feeding the chickens. The troughs in the chicken coop built by Robin are all automated. They will replace the water for you every day to meet the animals' drinking needs."

"That's about it. It's actually quite easy to take care of these little guys. After that, you just need to wait until they grow up, and then you can go into the chicken coop every day to take away the eggs they lay."

Marnie concluded to Leon as she left the chicken coop with him.

Leon thought of the hay stored in his box and couldn't help asking, "Do chickens only eat rice?"

"They eat bugs, too, but you don't need to catch them. All you have to do is open the gate of the coop and let them out to find bugs in the ground. That's the little trick I'm going to share: instead of keeping them locked up in the coop for long periods of time, letting them out in the open when the weather is nice will make them happier. On the contrary, being locked up for long periods of time will make them unhappy."

Marnie replied with a smile, and at the same time did not forget to remind Leon not to engage in closed breeding.

Leon nodded, then asked, "Then how many do you think I should raise for my first time?"

"Your chicken coop is a beginner chicken coop, right?" Mani confirmed.

"Ah."

"That's the capacity of eight. I recommend you raise the full eight," Mani suggested.

"Can I take care of it?" Lyon asked nervously.

"Of course." Mani smiled and comforted, "Feed them every morning, pet them once, and feed them once at night. That's enough. Raising chickens is actually not difficult."

"Then I'll listen to you. I'll buy eight chicks." Leon made the decision immediately after hearing that. After all, if it was really as Mani said, then raising poultry would not seem difficult. In this way, filling the chicken coop with chicks as soon as possible would be a one-time solution.

(End of this chapter)