Stardew Valley: Animal Products by Profitability (Ranked)

With different animal products in Stardew Valley, choosing the best ones is challenging for beginners. It’ll take a while to know which are profiting well through normal gameplay. However, we’ve ranked each in this guide based on how much money you’ll make.

Many beginners in Stardew Valley struggle to earn money consistently. As a result, the gameplay becomes much slower and more tedious, affecting the experience. Although the game is casual and relaxing, most great features are accessible near the endgame. Some examples are the Statue of Endless Fortune, Gold Clock, Ginger Island, and more.

Players can grow crops at the Farmhouse, care for livestock, and hope for the best. The former is less risky, needing less upfront effort than the latter. However, at more significant portions, farming is also grindy (unless you have Iridium Sprinklers. It’s also unavailable on specific maps, limiting the potential.

Assuming you’re one of many Ranchers in Stardew Valley, you may have the same question. Which animal product is more profitable than the other? Since building Coops and Barns comes with more upfront expenses, you need profits. 

That’s why we’re ranking every animal product in the game depending on the profit you’ll make. Note that we’ll exclude Artisan Goods here as there’s a separate list you can find here. [LINK HERE]

Start reading more if you want your Farm in Stardew Valley to thrive!

What are Animal Products in Stardew Valley?

Animal products are drops you can harvest from livestock in Stardew Valley. To start, you’ll either need a Barn or Coop, which have the following prices and required materials (Robin’s Shop):

Construction of a Barn or a Coop will let you house different livestock. However, we recommend getting both with the highest upgrade, as you’ll be surprised how reliable the two are when combined. Plus, you’ll consume less space, unlike regular Farming.

The next step is getting your farm animals. Marnie can sell various livestock for reasonable prices. Head to the Cindersap Forest, South of your Farm, for quick access. Before reaching the Ranch Shop, you can also travel to Town Square and Haley’s neighborhood.

Once you’re at the place, you can browse the following animals for purchasing:

Notes:

• Make sure to know Marnie’s schedule, as she may sometimes be away from the Shop.
• Some farm animals won’t be available upon upgrading.

Remember to feed and pet your livestock to get the best result! Now, here’s every animal product in Stardew Valley, ranked:

Egg

As the least profitable animal product in Stardew Valley, Eggs need little upfront money investment. However, you’ll also get less profit unless you turn them into jars of Mayonnaise.

That’s it. Your option is either settling for the below-average price or opting for Artisan Product-making.

This animal product is a steady drop of Brown and White Chickens. Keep the livestock happy, and there’ll always be something to pick up daily.

Void Egg

Albeit rare and doesn’t frequently appear in the game, the Void Egg has surprisingly disappointing profitability. For starters, getting the animal product is possible when the Witch visits your Farm and drops the item. However, purchasing it is also possible, costing 5,000g at Krobus’ wares.

Aside from being a quest item and a loved gift by Sebastian and Krobus, there’s little to do with it. Remember to choose this animal product more than its regular counterpart, as it’ll give you more earnings.

Large Egg and Duck Egg

These two eggs have the same profiting potential, albeit below average. One difference is each Artisan Product counterpart, where Duck Mayonnaise is more profitable than the regular one. Moreover, Ducks cost more than Chickens. But as a side drop, you may get Duck Feather if you’re lucky.

Caring for your chickens is essential for them to drop Large Eggs and Duck with Duck Eggs. But again, practice consistency, or automate the feeding process while you pet them on the side.

Milk

Mature Cows are the source of Milk in Stardew Valley. With a Milk Pail, you can squeeze and fill a small or large jug (depending on the maximum friendship). However, you can also automate everything by upgrading your Barn.

The animal product is decent when talking about profitability. You can even make a Lobster Bisque with it – one of the best foods in the game. They may stop producing in Winter, so keep those Heaters in place when the cold season starts approaching!

Large Milk

With better relationships raised with your Cows, equal qualities or even large jugs of Milk can be the outcome. Of course, this animal product has the same functionality. It still is used for cooking dishes similar to its smaller counterpart.

If you get a Large Milk, start shipping them. If it’s regular Milk, go ahead if you want to build a Cheese factory.

Goat Milk

Purchasing a Goat is a direct upgrade for the animal and its products. As it surpasses the Large Milk’s selling price, it’s evident that the goat Milk is superior. And while you can make the same dish as its previous counterparts, please don’t. It’d be better if you sell them directly or make Goat Cheese.

If you have the money to buy Lambs, we recommend bringing all the money out. It’s a profitable business as long as their mood is stable.

Dinosaur Egg

You’ve seen Pepper Rex in Prehistoric Floors below the Skull Cavern. They shoot destructive blazes since you’re an unwelcome guest in their domain. A good upside, though, is you can get decent rewards, even if you didn’t intend to encounter them.

Back at the Farm, Pepper Rex can be a pet because they’re completely tamed and a little smaller. And if you think they’ll eat your other livestock? You might be overthinking. Dinosaurs in Stardew Valley are herbivores and wouldn’t attack your Chickens. If you still don’t trust us, leave all your Chickens in another Coop.

In terms of profitability, the Dinosaur Egg might present decent profits, but you’ll get the egg weekly. That’s seven days of waiting, although the Dinosaur Mayonnaise does better.

You can get your first Dinosaur Egg by digging up Artifact Spots, Fishing Treasure Chests, and more.

Wool

A Rabbit may sometimes drop Wool at a Coop, or you can shear a Sheep for the drop. 

The animal product is handy for the Sewing Machine as the Cloth can be combined with other items. However, feel free to ship it directly so you’ll get profit before the next day rolls.

Large Goat Milk

It’s unsurprising for Goats to produce more than expected and give better earnings in reality. After spending some time tailoring to your livestock’s needs, it’s possible, and the process is easy.

With Large Goat Milk, you’ll get tons of profit potential depending on the quality. You’ll also have access to the same dishes you can prepare, although we recommend selling the animal product directly. Since its regular counterpart without quality boosts is worth as Goat Cheese, it’s better to stick with the method.

Truffle

Long ago, the Truffle was the meta of Ranching in Stardew Valley. Alongside a Pig’s animal product is the sure profit since its Artisan Good version is luxuriously expensive! A Truffle may not be worth it individually, but your piggies are digging lots of stuff in the ground! All combined would be a massive profit generator!

But since the Ginger Island update came, it’s noteworthy that Truffles are not the best animal product anymore. However, it’s still a decent moneymaker since Pigs are productive and efficient, especially during the non-Winter season.

Speaking of the cold, you may get short on earnings since no farm animals ever come out. Remember: It’s best to sell all quality Truffles. It’s optional to turn them into Truffle Oil with the Oil Maker, but outside of this list, it’s pretty profitable.

Golden Egg

From this point on, you can’t easily buy the animals that produce related animal products (although plausible). But because of the rarity, it’s worth mentioning that higher profits are possible.

Assuming you’re an endgame player, you’ll adjust your expectations as you know more items. In this context, a Golden Egg is one of the two best animal products in Stardew Valley (the real deal). Having the item presents a challenge, but we’ll help you how to get it.

If you haven’t achieved 100% Perfection, your sole source of the animal product is through exchanging Qi Gems. You can find the shop at the Walnut Room near the Perfection Tracker.

If you complete the Perfection, you can buy your first Golden Egg at Marnie’s Ranch, costing 100,000g. You might also get lucky with Fishing Treasure Chests, but it’ll be a lengthy and grindy process.

Finally, a Golden Witch might fly over your Coop and leave the animal product. It’s similar to the Void Egg scenario, albeit with a slimmer chance this time.

The massive selling price makes the Golden Egg earn the 2nd spot. Plus, turning them into an Artisan Product is always better, although the raw version sells pretty decently. Still, coming to this point of extreme profitability needs hard work. But wait until you hear the best of the best in this list.

Ostrich Egg

For the best animal product in terms of profitability, the Ostrich Egg wins. This rare item is available solely on Ginger Island. That means you’ll have to beat the game and fix Willy’s Boat before acquiring the egg.

To get an Ostrich Egg, you’ll need to solve Journal Scrap #10 first. Start by going North towards the Volcano and line up your tool with the “X” mark. Doing so will reveal a Golden Walnut alongside the item.

From this point, you’ll need a Barn and hatch the egg with an Ostrich Incubator. You’ll need to wait 9.5 days (or 4.75 days with the Coopmaster profession) to hatch. After that, you can slowly scale your business until it becomes profitable enough for expansion.

While selling the egg on its own is an excellent idea, turning it into Mayonnaise is better. That’s because you’ll get ten Mayonnaise instead of one. Multiplying that by 190g gives you excess profits. Note that an Ostrich Egg’s quality influences the Mayonnaise’s quality too! Just be careful not to make it a Fried Egg in the Kitchen.

Other Animal Products

There are several animal products unmentioned because of the unstable drop. These are:

• Duck Feather
• Rabbit’s Foot
• Roe
• Slime
• Slime Ball

Technically, Roes can be more expensive than Ostrich Eggs as Lava Eel Roe’s minimum selling value is 700g. But since catching the fish is challenging, leaving it as the best fish for fish pond is best.

Rabbit’s Foot can also single-handedly remove all competition as it’s the most expensive item in the same category. Its Iridium quality version can be profitable. But because of its unstable drop rate, it’s best to consider it a side profit. The same idea goes for the rest on the list above.