Feeding penned animals in RimWorld is essential for maintaining a healthy colony, especially if you rely on livestock for milk, wool, eggs, meat, or hauling. Improper care can lead to starvation, animal deaths, and wasted resources. Many players find themselves struggling with how to consistently feed animals after setting up pens, especially when managing multiple species with different diets. This guide explains exactly how to feed penned animals in RimWorld, covering food types, storage tips, zoning, and automation to ensure your animals stay fed year-round.
Understanding Penned Animal Needs
Animal Pen Basics
Penned animals include most livestock that cannot roam freely and require fencing, pen markers, and controlled areas. Once you build a pen with a complete enclosure and place a pen marker, you can assign animals to it. However, unlike free-roaming animals, penned animals won’t automatically seek food outside the designated pen area, so the responsibility to feed them falls on your colonists and pen design.
Types of Food for Penned Animals
Different animals have different dietary needs in RimWorld. Understanding what each species eats is key to effective feeding. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Herbivores: Grass, hay, vegetables, and kibble
- Omnivores: Same as herbivores plus meat and corpses
- Carnivores: Meat, corpses, kibble
The most commonly penned animals like cows, sheep, and chickens are herbivores, which makes haygrass and grazing options ideal. Carnivores typically are not kept in pens, but omnivores like pigs may be.
Feeding Options for Penned Animals
1. Grazing on Natural Grass
If you build your pen over a grassy outdoor area, herbivores can feed on natural grass. This is the easiest and most passive method of feeding penned animals, but it has limitations:
- Grass grows slowly in cold seasons
- Large animals consume more grass than it can regrow
- Overgrazing may lead to starvation if not supplemented
Grazing works well for small herds in large pens, especially in warm climates. Keep in mind that grass disappears in winter or dry biomes, requiring backup food sources.
2. Placing Hay or Kibble Inside the Pen
To actively feed penned animals, place food directly into the pen. Colonists will automatically haul hay, vegetables, or kibble to animal sleeping spots or feeding zones. You can create a small stockpile zone inside the pen with storage settings to accept specific animal food:
- Build a stockpile zone inside the fence
- Set it to accept hay, kibble, or vegetables
- Make sure colonists can access it and are assigned to hauling
This ensures animals have a constant food source, even if grass is unavailable. It’s especially important during winter or for desert maps.
3. Automatic Feeding Using Hoppers
Hoppers are not usable for penned animals directly, but if you build an adjacent room (with an opening like a door or fence gap) that allows penned animals to enter and access food near nutrient paste dispensers or meals, they may feed from stockpiles. However, this setup is inefficient compared to just placing hay or kibble directly inside the pen.
Producing and Storing Animal Food
Growing Haygrass
Haygrass is the most efficient crop for feeding herbivores. It produces large amounts of food per grow zone and can be stored for long periods. To grow haygrass:
- Designate a growing zone
- Select Haygrass as the crop
- Grow it in fertile soil to maximize yield
Harvested hay can be stored under a roof (but not refrigerated) and hauled into animal pens when needed. Stockpiling hay before winter is crucial for survival in temperate or cold biomes.
Making Kibble
Kibble is a crafted animal food made from vegetables and meat or hay and meat. It’s universal and never rots, making it useful for long-term animal care.
- Build a butcher spot or electric stove
- Set a bill to Make Kibble
- Assign colonists with Cooking skill
Kibble is a good backup food, especially for omnivorous animals like pigs or for supplementing hay in lean months. It’s also space-efficient for storage.
Setting Up Zones and Stockpiles
Stockpile Zones for Animal Feed
To ensure animals have consistent access to food, create stockpiles within the pen for feed. Follow these guidelines:
- Place zones on dry, roofed ground (if possible)
- Set storage priority to Preferred or higher
- Only allow hay, kibble, or vegetables
- Prevent colonists from feeding animals manually by avoiding hand-feeding unless required
Keep these stockpiles supplied by assigning colonists to hauling and ensuring food is close to the pen in your general base layout.
Managing Multiple Pens
If you have several pens, each needs its own food source and pen marker. Animals won’t move across pens, so feed zones must be duplicated. You can automate this with dedicated hauling zones near each pen and set rules in the stockpile settings for better distribution.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Pen Marker Not Active
If your animals wander or don’t eat, check the pen marker. Without it, animals won’t be registered as penned and may starve or wander. Make sure every pen includes a marker placed inside the enclosure.
Food Left Outside the Pen
Animals in pens can’t access food outside their fence. Colonists must bring feed into the pen directly. Confirm that your haulers aren’t dropping hay near, but not inside, the pen. Check your pathing and storage priorities.
Forgetting Winter Prep
Natural grazing vanishes during winter. Always stockpile hay or kibble before the cold season begins. Plant haygrass early and keep a rotating surplus so your animals don’t starve.
Advanced Tips for Feeding Penned Animals
Use Animals That Haul Their Own Food
Some animals, like donkeys and muffalos, can haul. While they won’t bring food to themselves, their hauling skills allow your colonists to focus on feeding other animals. Keep their needs in check so they keep working effectively.
Monitor Animal Needs Regularly
Click on animals and check their Needs tab. Hunger levels give a clear indicator of whether your feeding setup is working. If animals remain hungry, inspect food zones, storage priorities, and whether food is actually accessible inside the pen.
Assign Dedicated Animal Caregivers
Use the Work tab to assign colonists to Animal Handling and Hauling. Prioritize those with higher skill for animal care, especially when dealing with breeding and feeding needs. This ensures animals get attention quickly.
Feeding penned animals in RimWorld is a crucial part of base management that requires foresight and planning. Whether using natural grazing, hauling hay into pens, or crafting kibble, your approach must match the biome and animal type. Avoid starvation by building proper stockpiles, assigning hauling tasks, and preparing ahead for winter or dry seasons. With the right system in place, your animals will thrive, your colony will benefit from their output, and you’ll avoid frustrating deaths due to hunger. Effective animal management helps create a more self-sustaining and productive RimWorld colony.