Hay is an item used as food for farm animals. It is harvested from dried plants and is most commonly obtained by cutting Grass or Wheat with a scythe, though it can also be bought or produced through other methods. On farms with Silos, Hay from Grass is sent directly into storage, making it the main way to build a winter feed supply.
When Grass is cut with a scythe, it has a 50% chance to drop one Hay; the Golden Scythe raises this chance to 75%, and the Iridium Scythe guarantees a drop. Blue Grass drops two Hay instead of one when cut successfully. Grass must be cut with a scythe to produce Hay: using a weapon or Bomb will clear the Grass but will not produce any. Grass can only produce Hay if there is at least one unfilled Silo on the farm. Hay from Wheat works differently: each Wheat harvested with any scythe has a 40% chance to drop one Hay, which goes into the player’s inventory or Junimo Hut storage rather than directly into Silos. Hay can also be obtained by cutting weeds with a weapon enchanted with Haymaker, which gives a 1/3 chance for each weed to produce Hay; on the farm this goes straight into Silos, while outside the farm it goes to the player’s inventory.
Hay is stored in Silos, each of which holds up to 240. It can be withdrawn through Hoppers in Coops and Barns, which move Hay from the Silos to the building’s feeding bench. A Hopper dispenses Hay equal to the number of animals in the building, but never more than the number of empty feeding-bench slots. In Deluxe Coops and Deluxe Barns, the autofeeder keeps the bench full, which prevents normal withdrawal from the Hopper. The only way to remove Hay from a feeding bench is with a Bomb, which also allows Hay to be recovered when a Hopper cannot dispense it normally, such as when every building has an autofeeder or when a spouse has already fed the animals.
All Coop-dwelling and Barn-dwelling animals eat 1 Hay per day when no fresh Grass is available. The Hay must be placed on the feeding bench in the animal building, though it can come from any source. Animals do not die if unfed, but they become unhappy. Because animals cannot graze outside during Winter, it is important to stockpile Hay before Fall 28; multiple Silos are often needed for enough storage. If supplies run short in winter, Hay can still be bought, gathered from leftover Grass, or produced by growing Wheat in the Greenhouse or on Ginger Island.
Hay can also be purchased from Marnie’s Ranch, obtained from the Desert Trader in a trade of 3 Hay for 1 Omni Geode on Mondays, occasionally received in the mail from Marnie, or bought at her Desert Festival shop for Calico Eggs. It may also appear as a fairground prize at the Stardew Valley Fair. If the Meadowlands Farm is chosen, Mayor Lewis provides 15 Hay at the start of the game.
Beyond feeding animals, Hay is used in tailoring to make a Grass Skirt at the Sewing Machine, and it can be used as a yellow dye at the dye pots in Emily’s and Haley’s house.
