How to get a silo and what they are used for

Silos are an important building to have on everyone Stardew Valley grow. These tall 3×3 structures are used to store hay, which is an important material for any farmer who chooses to raise animals. Without a silo, players may struggle to keep their cows and chickens fed and happy, especially in the winter.




Some players may not realize the importance of this building until they have already started breeding animals, resulting in a struggle to get one built quickly. To help new farmers, here is a quick guide on how to build silos and use them on the farm.

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Updated December 15, 2024 by Demaris Oxman: Now that the 1.6 update has hit all platforms, more farmers are flocking than ever Stardew Valley to live out their dreams of a simple country life. In addition to exciting new items and events, the game's latest version also adds tons of balance changes and quality of life modifications. One of these is related to how grass grows on the farm during the winter, affecting how players feed their animals and store their hay in silos. For those exploring 1.6, here's what farmers need to know.


How to get a silo

Silo buy screen in Stardew Valley


Silon is a good choice as a first building to buy. It is cheaper and requires less material than most other buildings; in addition, it allows players to store a fodder supply, which will help keep their animals happy and produce quality goods. To build a silo on their farm, players must collect the following materials:

  • 100 stone: This is one of the easiest materials to collect. Simply break rocks with a pickaxe in the yard or in the mines.
  • 10 Clay: Dig in the dirt with the hoe. Players can usually find enough clay when preparing land to plant seeds. Also, look for artifact spots (small worms sticking out of the dirt). These can also yield mud.
  • 5 copper rod: Break copper ore nodes with the pickaxe in the mines. These are common at the upper levels, so players should be able to quickly collect a stash even in the early game. Place five copper ore and one coal in a furnace to make a copper bar.


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Take these materials to Robin at the carpentry shop to buy a silo for 100 g, which will take two days to complete. Generally, the best places for silos are at the far edges or corners of the yard, where they won't get in the player's way. However, depending on the player's choice of layout, they may decide to incorporate them decoratively into their farm's design.

How to use a silo

stardew-winter-hay

Once the silo is built, players can use it for storage hay. Hay can be acquired in several ways:

  • The player can cut grass on their farm with a scythe, who has a 50% chance to let them collect hay. Player cannot harvest hay this way without a silo.
  • Cutting Wheat have one 40% chance to play hay. This hay will be collected in the player's inventory rather than in the silo.
  • Marnie sells hay on his ranch for 50g each.
  • The desert trader will sell the player 3 hay in exchange for 1 omni geode.
  • Marnie gets to send the player 30 hay on the post.


Any hay the player collects with a scythe will be deposited directly into the silo. Additionally, if players purchase or receive hay as a gift, they can right-click on the silo while holding the hay to add it to the inventory. Each silo can hold 240 hay.

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To access hay from the silo, just click Hey Hopper in a barn or coop. Players can then place this hay into a feeder for their animals. Alternatively, if players have grass to cut and need to make room in the silo, they can remove all the hay from the silo via the hopper and store it in a chest.

Note that if the player buys a Deluxe Barn or Deluxe Coop, these come with one automatic feeding system. The player no longer needs to fill the feeder manually every day; instead, it is filled automatically. This also means that players can no longer manually remove hay from the silos to store it elsewhere. If the player has automatic feeders and several animals on their farm, it is often good to have several silos, so that they do not run out of hay every few days.


Planning ahead

stardew hay silo

As mentioned above, Silon is an excellent choice for a first building on a new farm. Many first-timers, eager to start raising animals, may be tempted to buy a barn or coop first; but it is a mistake to do so without a Silo in the yard. The lack of a silo makes it very difficult to keep the animals fed, unless the player has lots of grass growing outside.

Speaking of grass, players will likely be cutting a lot of grass in the early game as they clear the overgrown land for planting and building. If the player doesn't have a Silo on their farm when they do, it's a waste of hay sources. With this in mind, players should make an effort to build a silo – or even two – as one of their first priorities.


Storing hay in the silo/silo is especially important when preparing for winter. During this season, the animals will not graze outdoors, preferring the cozy warmth of the barn or yard. Therefore, it is important to store hay in the silo. Any grass left at the end of autumn will remain on the player's farm throughout the winter; however, it goes to sleep. This means that if it is cut, it will not grow back until early spring. In addition, grass produces less hay when cut during the winter. Make sure the silos are fully filled with hay before the seasons change, as it will be a challenge to keep them full during the snowy season.

Stardew Valley Tag Page Cover Art

Stardew Valley

Released
February 26, 2016

Developer
Worried Ape

OpenCritic Rating
Powerful

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