Chickens are one of the most essential animals in the popular farming game Hay Day. As a valuable source of eggs, feathers, and XP points, chickens play a critical role in expanding and upgrading your farm. This definitive guide will provide everything you need to know about collecting, feeding, and using chickens on Hay Day.
An Introduction to Chickens
Chickens are unlocked early in Hay Day, as soon as you build a coop on your farm. The most basic white chickens can be purchased for 20 coins each from the market. As you level up, more rare and colorful chicken breeds become available, like Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, and Silkies.
Once purchased, chickens are housed in the coop. Each coop can hold a certain number of chickens, based on its size and upgrades. Tap on an individual chicken to collect eggs and pet XP. Over time, chickens will occasionally find useful items around the farm too.
Benefits of Raising Chickens
There are several key reasons chickens are so useful on your Hay Day farm:
Collecting Eggs
The main purpose of chickens is to produce eggs. Eggs are very valuable items used for baking goods and filling boat orders. Each egg takes a certain amount of time to be produced, based on the type of chicken. Higher-quality chickens lay eggs more frequently.
Earning XP
Petting chickens grants XP points. XP allows you to level up and unlock new content. Making sure to frequently click on each chicken is an easy way to accumulate XP over time. Different colored chickens provide varying XP rewards.
Finding Items
Occasionally, chickens will find random items hidden around the farm. This can include construction materials, decoration items, expansion permits, and more. Check back often to see if your chickens have discovered anything useful!
Completing Orders
Many boat and town orders require eggs to complete. Maintaining a healthy flock of chickens ensures you’ll have a steady supply of eggs to quickly fulfill these orders when they come in.
Generating Feathers
Chickens randomly drop feathers which can be collected. Feathers are necessary for crafting certain items. You’ll want to harvest feathers anytime you see them.
Expanding Your Flock
When starting out in Hay Day, your coop only holds a handful of chickens. Here are some tips for increasing your chicken population:
- Upgrade your coops for more space. Each upgrade increases the number of chickens allowed.
- Build additional coops. You can have multiple big coops, each housing many chickens.
- Buy more chickens from the market. Check frequently for new chickens for sale.
- Use the separation tool to organize chickens. This lets you separate types into different coops.
- House chicks in the nursery while they mature. Then move adults to coops.
With some investments into your chicken infrastructure, you’ll be able to maintain dozens, or even hundreds of chickens rolling in eggs on your farm!
Feeding Your Chickens
To keep chickens happy and productive, you need to make sure they are well-fed. Chickens on Hay Day have two types of food:
Chicken Feed
This is the basic food for your flock. Chicken feed can be produced in your feed mill building. Simply gather wheat and corn to turn into bags of feed. To use, tap a chicken and select “feed”. Each chicken has a food meter – keep these filled!
Treats
For additional benefits, you can feed chickens treats like baked goods, popcorn, and pumpkin soup. Treats instantly fill the food meter and also provide a short boost to the rate of egg production. Mix treats into your chickens’ diets for maximum eggs!
Make feeding chickens a regular routine. Set timers if needed to ensure they don’t run low on food. Hungry chickens won’t produce eggs until fed again. Having a full food meter also helps chickens find rare items around the farm.
Egg Production Rates
Not all chickens are equal when it comes to egg production speed. The rarer the breed, the faster it will lay eggs. Here are the times for each:
- Common White Chicken: Takes 4 hours for 1 egg
- Rhode Island Red: Takes 3 hours 30 mins for 1 egg
- Plymouth Rock: Takes 3 hours for 1 egg
- Silkie Chicken: Takes 2 hours 20 mins for 1 egg
- Royal Chicken: Takes 1 hour 30 mins for 1 egg
- Diamond Chicken: Takes 1 hour for 1 egg
As you level up and expand your coops, aim to fill them with the rarest breeds you can for fast, frequent egg production. Make sure to still keep a few white chickens for cheap XP too.
Chicken XP Rewards
Here are the XP rewards per breed when petted:
- White Chicken: 1 XP
- Rhode Island Red: 1 XP
- Plymouth Rock: 2 XP
- Silkie Chicken: 2 XP
- Royal Chicken: 3 XP
- Diamond Chicken: 5 XP
The rarer colored chickens give more XP, so it’s beneficial to have some of each kind. Pet every chicken after collecting eggs for free XP towards leveling up.
Where to Get New Chickens
Here are the various methods to add new chickens to your flock:
Buying Chickens
- Check the market frequently as new chickens become available randomly. They start at 20 coins for common white chickens.
- Watch for events and derby tasks that reward chickens as prizes.
- Rare breeds like Silkies can sometimes be won in spin wheels and mystery chests.
Hatching Chickens
- Collect fertilized chicken eggs and place in incubators to hatch chicks.
- Raise chicks in the nursery, then move adults to coops.
- Upgrade the nursery for more hatching capacity.
Trading and Helping
- Trade eggs or chickens with other farmers.
- Fulfill requests for chickens and eggs on the newspaper board.
- Check your friends’ farms for chickens to buy.
With all these options, you’ll have no problem finding new chickens regularly as you play Hay Day.
Chicken Coop Capacity
Here is the max chicken capacity for each size of coop:
- Small Chicken Coop: 3 Chickens
- Medium Chicken Coop: 5 Chickens
- Large Chicken Coop: 9 Chickens
- Deluxe Chicken Coop: 14 Chickens
- Max Chicken Coop: 20 Chickens
Each upgrade raises the capacity limit. Make sure to plan ahead and know exactly how many chickens you can house as your farm grows. Maximize every inch of space!
Chicken Decorations
To spruce up your coops, there are some fun decorative items available:
- Weather Vanes – Add a colorful spinning weather vane on top.
- Coop Customization – Paint exteriors and add details like brick walls.
- Farm Themes – Use themed decorations like fairy mushroom lights.
- Flowers – Plant rose bushes and flower patches around coops.
- Fences – Use fences, gates, and hedges to create a chicken run.
Get creative with your coop decor! A beautiful coop will keep your chickens happy.
Managing Chicken Inventory
Handling a large chicken flock takes organization. Make sure to:
- Name each chicken for easy identification. Color code names by breed.
- Use the separation tool to sort chickens into different coops by type for easy harvesting.
- Track egg inventory closely. Don’t let excess eggs pile up unused.
- Sell extra eggs in your roadside shop. They are highly profitable!
- Monitor food levels and top up feed frequently.
- Cull less productive chickens to make room for rare breeds.
With a well-organized system, maintaining even hundreds of chickens is straightforward.
Uses for Eggs
Fresh eggs from your chickens are very valuable on your farm. Here are the top uses:
Baking
- Eggs are required for many baked goods like cakes, cookies, and apple pies.
- Check the bakery regularly to see what’s in demand.
- Bake in bulk and sell to visitors for big profits.
Boat Orders
- Crates and town visitors love to order eggs.
- Keep sufficient eggs on hand to quickly fill orders.
- Fulfill as many boat orders as possible to gain XP.
Crafting
- Many craftable and community buildings need eggs to complete.
- Craft useful items like mayonnaise and chicken feed using eggs.
- Upgrade production buildings like the bakery with eggs.
Trading & Selling
- Trade eggs to fulfill requests on the newspaper board.
- Offer eggs in your roadside shop at the maximum price. They sell out fast!
- Sell excess eggs in the trading post at the market.
With this range of uses, those chicken eggs are like gold on your farm. Put them to good use!
The Mysterious Chicken Snorkel
One of the strangest items you may occasionally get from a chicken is a chicken snorkel. This odd diving mask for chickens has puzzled many players. Why would a chicken need a snorkel?
While it may seem ridiculous, there are a few plausible explanations for the existence of chicken snorkels in the Hay Day universe:
- Alternative oxygen source – Chickens have small nostrils on their beaks. The snorkel provides an additional way to breathe if their nose is blocked.
- Water safety – Life jackets keep chickens afloat. Paired with a snorkel, they can safely swim without drowning.
- Underwater exploration – The snorkel lets curious chickens poke around in ponds and rivers on the farm, exploring underwater.
- Fashion statement – Maybe chickens just think snorkels look cool? The silkie in a snorkel does look pretty stylish.
- Quest reward – Completing chicken quest lines could reward a snorkel for their service.
At the end of the day, the chicken snorkel is likely just a silly novelty item in Hay Day. But it’s fun to imagine chickens diving below the surface to see what secrets lie beneath the farm!
Fun Facts About Chickens
Here are some fascinating real-world facts about chickens that relate to the game:
- Chicken eggs come in different colors like blue, green and pink – just like the colorful chickens in Hay Day!
- Silkie chickens have fluffy, hair-like plumage just like the silkies in the game.
- Rhode Island Red is an actually popular breed known for egg laying.
- Chickens cluck and make over 30 other vocalizations to communicate.
- Wild chickens originated in Asia and were first domesticated over 8,000 years ago.
- Certain chicken breeds can lay over 300 eggs per year!
- Chickens form social hierarchies with dominant hens called “pecking order”.
- Their feed does impact egg quality – corn and wheat make healthier eggs.
- Chickens love eating kitchen scraps, bugs, fruits and vegetables.
Learning more about real chickens gives insight into raising your virtual flock in Hay Day!
Key Takeaways on Hay Day Chickens
To recap the key points:
- Chickens provide eggs, feathers, XP, and items for your farm.
- Buy more chickens, build extra coops, and upgrade to expand your flock.
- Feed chickens regularly to keep them producing eggs.
- Rarer chicken breeds lay eggs faster for increased production.
- Earn XP by petting each chicken daily.
- Use eggs to bake goods, fulfill orders, craft items, and sell for profits.
- Decorate coops and organize chickens for easier management.
- The chicken snorkel is a funny novelty item without a real purpose.
Focus on growing your chicken empire to reap the many benefits chickens provide on Hay Day!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about chickens in Hay Day:
How often do chickens lay eggs?
The egg production rate varies based on chicken rarity. Common white chickens take 4 hours per egg, while ultra-rare diamond chickens only take 1 hour.
Do roosters appear in the game?
No, currently there are only female chickens and chicks. No roosters are present.
How many chickens fit in a coop?
Coop capacity ranges from 3-20 chickens depending on size and upgrades. Bigger is better for large flocks.
Do chickens ever die?
Chickens live forever! They don’t need rehabilitation and won’t die of old age.
Why are there baby chicks in the game?
You can collect fertilized eggs and hatch chicks in incubators. Raise them in the nursery until adult.
Should I buy chicken feed or make my own?
It’s much more cost-effective to produce your own feed by growing wheat and corn.
What is the best chicken breed?
Diamond chickens are the ultimate breed, providing 5 XP and an egg every 1 hour.
How do you get diamonds chickens?
Diamond chickens are very rare prizes from mystery chests, events, and quest rewards.
Can chickens be sold?
Yes, any extra chickens can be sold for coins. Their value depends on breed rarity.
Final Thoughts
Chickens are a staple of any thriving Hay Day farm. As you progress in the game, aim to expand your chicken empire to maximize production and profits. There’s a whole world of chickens waiting for you to explore and discover in Hay Day!