The basic steps to build your first coop

To build a chicken coop in Stardew Valley, you need to unlock the carpentry menu with Robin at her workshop, gather the required materials, and place the building on your farm. The first coop costs 4,000 gold, 450 wood, and 15 copper bars. You can start building one as early as spring of your first year if you have the resources.

Visit Robin's carpentry shop (the building north of Pierre's General Store in Pelican Town). Open the menu and select "Construct Farm Buildings." Choose the coop from the list. Robin will ask you to select a location on your farm where the building will sit. The coop needs a 3x3 space of clear, flat ground — no trees, rocks, or existing structures in the way. Once you confirm the location, Robin begins construction the next day and finishes by the day after that.

You cannot move or remove a coop once it is placed, so choose your location carefully. Most players put coops near their barn or silo for convenience, or in a cluster away from their house to keep noise and smell at a distance.

Key Takeaways

  • A basic coop costs 4,000 gold, 450 wood, and 15 copper bars, and takes two in-game days to build once you place it with Robin.
  • You need to gather copper bars by mining in the mines to depth 40 or deeper, or by breaking open geodes at Clint's blacksmith shop.
  • A standard coop holds up to four chickens and includes a door that closes at night, a feeder, and a nest box for eggs.
  • You can upgrade your coop later to hold eight chickens and add a silo for hay storage, but the initial coop is functional for early-game farming.
  • Chickens need to be let outside during the day and will return at dusk; they produce eggs every morning if they are fed and happy.

Where to find copper bars and other materials

Copper bars are the hardest material to gather for your first coop. You get them by smelting copper ore at a furnace. To smelt, you need copper ore (found in the mines at depth 40 or deeper) and coal (found at depth 40 or deeper, or from breaking open geodes). Each copper bar requires five copper ore and one coal to smelt.

Wood is easier — chop trees on your farm with an axe, or break open wooden crates and barrels in the mines. You can also buy wood from Robin for 10 gold per piece if you are short. Copper ore comes from breaking rocks in the mines with a pickaxe. You need a pickaxe strong enough to break copper-level rocks, which means upgrading your starting pickaxe at least once at Clint's blacksmith shop.

The 4,000 gold comes from selling crops, foraged items, or fish. Spring crops like parsnips and cauliflower sell for enough to cover this cost if you plant a decent patch in your first week.

What your coop contains and how to use it

A new coop is a small building with space for four chickens. Inside you will find a feeder (where you place hay or let chickens eat grass), a nest box (where hens lay eggs), and a door on the south side. The door opens automatically at 6 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., so chickens go outside during the day and return at night.

You do not need to manually open or close the door. Chickens will go outside if there is grass or crops to eat, or stay inside if it is raining or snowing. They return on their own before the door closes. At night, make sure the feeder has hay or the chickens have access to grass outside — if they go hungry, they become unhappy and stop laying eggs.

Eggs appear in the nest box every morning if your chickens are fed and happy. Brown eggs are normal; if you have a chicken with high friendship, it may lay a large brown egg worth more gold. You can also incubate eggs in the coop to hatch new chickens, but that requires a separate incubator upgrade.

Upgrading your coop later

After you have your first coop running, you can upgrade it to hold eight chickens instead of four. An upgrade costs 10,000 gold, 450 wood, and 15 copper bars — the same materials as a second coop, but it expands your existing building instead of creating a new one. The upgrade takes two days like the original build.

You can also add a silo to your farm, which stores hay automatically when you cut grass with a scythe. A silo costs 2,500 gold, 100 wood, 15 stone, and 10 copper bars. Once you have a silo, your chickens can eat stored hay during winter or when grass is not available, which keeps them fed without you having to buy hay from Pierre.

Many players build a silo before upgrading their coop, because the silo solves the winter feeding problem and costs less. Plan your upgrades based on what you need most — more chickens, or reliable winter food.

Buying and caring for chickens

Once your coop is built, buy chickens from Marnie's ranch (the building south of Pierre's store). A chicken costs 800 gold. You can buy up to four at once if your coop is full, or more if you have upgraded. Marnie is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. She is closed on Sunday.

When you bring a chicken home, it appears in your coop. Give it a few days to settle — new chickens start with low friendship and may not lay eggs when ready. You raise friendship by petting the chicken every day. A happy chicken with high friendship lays larger eggs and produces more often.

Chickens need food every day. In spring, summer, and fall, they can eat grass outside if you let them out. In winter, you must feed them hay from your silo or buy hay from Marnie for 50 gold per piece. If a chicken goes hungry for more than a few days, it becomes unhappy and stops laying eggs until you feed it again.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is placing your coop on uneven ground or in a spot with obstacles. The game will not let you place a coop if the space is not clear, but players sometimes clear the area wrong — make sure you remove all trees, rocks, and debris in a 3x3 grid before you talk to Robin. If you are unsure whether a spot is clear, try placing a chest there first; if the chest goes down, the coop will fit.

Another mistake is not building a silo before winter. If you do not have stored hay and your grass is gone, you will have to buy hay every day or watch your chickens become unhappy. A silo costs less than a coop upgrade and solves this problem for the rest of the game.

Do not forget to let your chickens outside during the day. They need to move around and eat grass to stay happy. If you leave them locked inside all the time, they become unhappy even if you feed them, and unhappy chickens stop laying eggs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build a coop in winter?

Yes, you can build a coop any time of year. However, chickens cannot eat grass in winter, so you will need a silo with stored hay or you will have to buy hay from Marnie every day. Most players wait until spring to buy chickens, even if they build the coop in winter.

What happens if my chickens do not lay eggs?

Chickens stop laying eggs if they are unhappy or hungry. Check that your feeder has hay or your chickens have access to grass outside. Pet your chickens daily to raise their friendship. If a chicken has been unhappy for several days, it may take a week of good care before it starts laying again.

Do I need a silo before I build a coop?

No, but you will need one before winter unless you want to buy hay every day. A silo stores hay automatically when you cut grass, so it solves the winter feeding problem. Most players build a silo in summer or early fall to prepare for winter.

Can I move my coop after I build it?

No, coops cannot be moved or removed once placed. If you want to relocate, you have to destroy the coop and lose all the materials you spent on it. Choose your location carefully the first time.

What is the difference between a coop and a barn?

A coop holds chickens and ducks; a barn holds cows, goats, and pigs. A barn costs more (6,000 gold, 450 wood, 15 copper bars) but holds larger animals that produce milk and other products. Start with a coop if you want eggs; build a barn later if you want milk.