Animal Troughs

[Shidoni 84]

This idea started when I had my first wurm winter. I put down copious amounts of cut grass for my livestock and yet, surprisingly, they happily munched the grass tiles through the snow. I thought this was odd at best, yet for my own immersive enjoyment, I continued to put down 'hay' for my animals.

Along those lines, I have noticed people who prefer to feed specific things (for whatever reason) or don't want their livestock constantly eating the grass. With these things in mind, we should be able to make troughs. Each one the length of a whole tile, but only about the width of a border tile. They should be pushable once built, but not able to pick up. Livestock should make troughs their priority for food. Even above enchanted grass. In the winter, they should not be able to graze anywhere else (except food placed directly on the ground).

Items permitted to fit within a trough should be all items that livestock will eat. Decay should be slowed, but not removed. Mixed grass should first 'decay' into hay, then the hay has it's own decay. In non-winter months, eating from a trough should provide higher nourishment than grazing from ground tiles.

Like with BSBs, there should be a graphical indication of how full a trough is (manually checking 50 troughs would become tedious).

This would be an important and appreciated addition to the game for me, and would add another element of TLC for people who raise livestock. I think it would also cut down on some of the hording issue that I have seen solutions for fail. Like real life, the more animals you have, the more work it involves. People will still have the option of sitting their animals on grass tiles during all but the winter months and dropping food for them during the winter if they just hate troughs.

I personally have a wintering stable for my live stock and will continue to lay down food during the winter months, but I would love to see this option come into fruition.

[Wiro 370]

I like it except for how it requires mixed grass. I'd rather some farmable crop be used, with mixed grass as a second option. Also, perhaps enchanted grass should be unaffected by the cold weather.

[Kamikazifly 70]

I'd like to see wet troughs holding slop for pigs, dog bowls for dogs, wolfs, bears.

[Shidoni 84]

I like it except for how it requires mixed grass. I'd rather some farmable crop be used, with mixed grass as a second option.

I put in there that troughs should be able to hold any food that livestock would eat =) Just that mixed grass 'decays' into hay.

Dog bowls would be cool to. Throwing meat on the ground for my dogs is so barbaric =P

[KunAlt 844]

+1

Bump!

[Acheronia 18]

+1

I love the idea of troughs. It could act exactly like a bsb or fsb that only allows certain kinds of food. Some foods or combination of foods that will decay into something else would be a bonus. That the trough should be the preferred feeding method for animals is essential.

I don't like the idea of them not being able to graze in winter though. Grazers have no trouble nosing snow away to get to the greens below... it just takes a little extra effort.

[leaf 283]

+1

[Shrimpiie 3,665]

Are you supposed to put mixed grass or food on the ground for horses in the winter? And I do like the idea of troughs because animals like dogs and pigs are a pain to keep because you have to manualy feed them all the time and it sucks when you aren't on for a while, come back and they are half starved +1

[Cartrip 132]

Eh Wiro, mixed grass is so easy to get it's not even funny, and can be gathered from the same tiles every few days, much easier to stock up on than crops are.

+1 troughs although they should be able to be picked up if empty. People move their animal pens.

[Trencal 75]

+1

[danvath 0]

+1

A way to make this easier would be to use the barrel model, but remove the lid. Then on the side make a "gauge" that filled with a certain color which displays how much is in the trough.

Now no need to make an entirely new model which saves time.

[Shrimpiie 3,665]

So is that a yes that animals are sopposed to have mixed grass on the ground outside or not? I keep m horses in pens on grass tiles outside

[joedobo 1,187]

+1, It would be nice if an option let us keep animals indoors and exert the same effort feeding them as we do with a grazing animals on grass or farm crops.

In principle the OP's idea is good. Specific exceptions include: 1) farm crops should be used interchangeably with mixed grass, 2) decaying from grass to hay ect is too much depth, 3) no grazing in the winter *looks totally dumbfounded*, are you serious?

I'd also want to see troughs that hold liquids or meals to feed meat eaters.

Can we make it so opulence makes the food last longer?

[Steveleeb 1,067]

bump