It’s also about taking care of all the animals and enjoying their company. The vanilla game comes with a decent variety of animals, but never forget that things can always be improved. And with a modding community as active as the Stardew Valley folks, improvements are always right around the corner. Whether you’re just looking for new skins, or for quality of life improvements that make ranching smoother, this list should have you covered!
10. Dino Velociraptor Reskin
Check Out This Mod Dinosaurs aren’t exactly farm animals. But Stardew Valley makes the impossible, possible. Even if it ends up being absurd. The Dino Velociraptor Reskin replaces the vanilla game’s green lizard with a cute velociraptor model that doesn’t look out of place at all. Really, this thing fits in! It almost looks cute, if you can forget what this ancient lizard is capable of.
9. Easy Petting
Check Out This Mod With so many animals it’s difficult to keep track of which ones you haven’t showered with kisses and cuddles yet. No need for a journal, let’s just use this mod. Easy Petting makes it super simple to see which animals haven’t been petted yet. Just get close to them, pet them, and watch that cute heart bubble pop over their heads. Doesn’t that make you feel a little warm inside?
8. A Very Special Blue Chicken
Check Out This Mod My blue chicken is way more special than yours: it can lay pearls instead of eggs. This mod makes the blue chickens in Stardew Valley even more incredible than they already are. Now you get to decide if (or when) they will lay a pearl instead of an egg. It does feel a bit like cheating, because it basically is. But to be honest, does anyone really care?
7. K’s Goat Replacer
Check Out This Mod I like my goats to be cute. And so should you, fellow Stardew Valley fan! The K’s Goat Replacer mod introduces four new goat types, all complete with different sprites and color schemes. Even for the kid goats. These new sprites are so cute that you’ll feel the urge to pet them incessantly, even at the cost of neglecting your other duties. It’s OK though, goats are awesome.
6. Better Pigs and Recolours
Check Out This Mod Bigger. Better. Improved. And way happier! I might be hyping this too much, but it couldn’t be any other way, considering how much happier the Stardew Valley pigs look with this mod. Yes it’s simple. But gosh darnit, if you’re a pig farmer then you want your piggies looking their best.
5. Shiba Inu – Shepherd – Husky
Check Out This Mod For all the animals included in the game, it’s baffling how we only got one dog type in Stardew Valley by default. Thankfully, modders are here to turn your farm into the dog shelter you always wanted. With this mod you can finally have a Shiba Inu, Shepherd, or Husky on your farm. The sprites look damn cute, so this little guy will quickly become your new best friend.
4. Cuter Fatter Cows
Check Out This Mod Stardew Valley shares more than a few similarities with the Harvest Moon series. And also shares a few cows too, thanks to this mod. Cuter Fatter Cows gives us new cow sprites that not only look fatter and happier, but that look a lot like ones you would expect to find in the Harvest Moon games. A fair tribute to the OG farming sim.
3. Elle’s New Coop Animals
Check Out This Mod Massive is the name of the game with the New Coop Animals mod. So massive, in fact, that you may need a new coop! This mod, which has to be used together with the Content Patcher, introduces a ton of new skins for all coop animals. This means 22 skins for chickens, 26 skins for rabbits, and even 6 new skins for dinosaurs. Just in case you still haven’t decided if you want to create a thriving Jurassic Park-themed ranch.
2. Elle’s New Barn Animals
Check Out This Mod Everybody’s out to improve the coop animals. But why does no one think of the barn animals? Well somebody certainly did, and here’s the mod to prove it. New Barn Animals is pretty much the same as the New Coop Animals mod, only that it introduces new skins and colors for cows, goats, sheep, and pigs. As well as an option to disable any replacement skin in case it has compatibility issues with another mod. How thoughtful!
1. Better Ranching
Check Out This Mod Vanilla Stardew doesn’t make ranching all that easy. Milking and shearing can go wrong for any reason. And you have no idea if any of your animals wants some attention. The Better Ranching mod is among the best animal mods ever made for the game, as it certainly does make ranching better & much easier. It helps prevent doomed milking and shearing attempts, while adding an indicator that shows when each animal can be petted, milked, or sheared. Very effective, and very convenient!
