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How to Get Pigs in Stardew Valley: A Comprehensive Guide

Raising animals is a core part of the Stardew Valley experience, and pigs are among the most profitable livestock you can acquire. Knowing how to get pigs in Stardew Valley and properly care for them can significantly boost your farm’s income. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough on everything you need to know about acquiring and raising these truffle-snuffling creatures.

Why Pigs Are a Great Investment

Before diving into how to get pigs in Stardew Valley, let’s understand why they’re so valuable. Pigs are unique because they forage for truffles, which can be sold for a substantial profit. Truffles can be sold raw, or processed into Truffle Oil, which fetches an even higher price. This makes pigs an excellent long-term investment for any Stardew Valley farmer.

Prerequisites: The Big Barn

The first step in how to get pigs in Stardew Valley is ensuring you have the proper housing. Pigs require a Deluxe Barn, the final upgrade to the basic Barn structure. Here’s how to get there:

Basic Barn: This is the starting point. It houses four animals and costs 6,000g, 350 wood, and 150 stone.
Big Barn: The second upgrade. It houses eight animals and requires a Basic Barn, 12,000g, 450 wood, and 200 stone.
Deluxe Barn: The final upgrade. It houses twelve animals, requires a Big Barn, 25,000g, 550 wood, and 300 stone. Crucially, it’s the only barn type that can house pigs.

To upgrade your barn, visit Robin at the Carpenter’s Shop, located north of town. She will handle the construction and upgrades, which take a few days to complete. Make sure you have sufficient resources and funds before starting the upgrade process.

Purchasing Your Pig

Once you have a Deluxe Barn, you’re ready to learn how to get pigs in Stardew Valley. Head to Marnie’s Ranch, located south of your farm. Marnie sells various farm animals, including pigs. Each pig costs 16,000g. Interact with Marnie, select the ‘Purchase Animals’ option, and choose a pig. You’ll then need to select which barn you want to place the pig in. Ensure you have enough space in your Deluxe Barn before purchasing.

Caring for Your Pig

Knowing how to get pigs in Stardew Valley is only half the battle. Proper care is essential for maximizing their truffle production. Here’s what you need to know:

Feeding Your Pig

Pigs need to be fed daily. They eat hay, which can be obtained in several ways:

Cutting Grass: Use a scythe to cut grass on your farm. This yields hay, which is automatically stored in your silo.
Purchasing Hay: Buy hay from Marnie’s Ranch for 50g per piece.
Auto-Feed System: The Deluxe Barn has an auto-feed system, which automatically dispenses hay from the silo into the feeding trough. This simplifies the feeding process.

Ensure there’s always hay available in the feeding trough, especially during winter when pigs cannot forage outside. A hungry pig will not produce truffles.

Letting Your Pig Outside

Pigs forage for truffles outside. To maximize truffle production, let your pigs outside every day, weather permitting. Open the barn door to allow them to roam freely on your farm. They will wander around and dig up truffles, which they leave on the ground for you to collect.

Note that pigs will not go outside during winter or when it’s raining or snowing. During these times, they will stay inside the barn and need to be fed hay.

Increasing Pig Happiness

A happy pig is a productive pig. You can increase your pig’s happiness by:

Petting Them: Pet your pigs daily by interacting with them. This increases their affection and happiness.
Providing Space: Ensure your pigs have enough space to roam around outside. Overcrowding can decrease their happiness.
Avoiding Neglect: Consistently feed and care for your pigs. Neglecting them will decrease their happiness.

Higher happiness levels result in more frequent truffle production and higher quality truffles.

Truffle Production and Profitability

The primary reason to learn how to get pigs in Stardew Valley is for truffle production. Truffles are valuable items that can be sold or processed. Here’s what you need to know:

Collecting Truffles

Pigs dig up truffles throughout the day when they are outside. The truffles will be scattered around the area where your pigs are roaming. Simply walk over the truffles to collect them. Pigs will not dig up truffles in winter or when they are kept inside due to bad weather.

Truffle Quality and Value

Truffles come in different qualities: regular, silver, gold, and iridium. The quality of the truffle affects its selling price. Higher happiness levels increase the chance of pigs finding higher quality truffles.

Here are the base selling prices for truffles:

Regular Truffle: 625g
Silver Truffle: 781g
Gold Truffle: 937g
Iridium Truffle: 1250g

Truffle Oil Production

While selling truffles directly is profitable, processing them into Truffle Oil significantly increases their value. To make Truffle Oil, you need an Oil Maker. The Oil Maker recipe is unlocked at Farming Level 8 and requires 150 wood, 50 stone, and 1 iron bar.

Place a truffle in the Oil Maker, and it will produce Truffle Oil in about 6 hours. Truffle Oil sells for 1,065g, making it a lucrative product.

Maximizing Your Pig’s Potential

To truly master how to get pigs in Stardew Valley, consider these tips for maximizing their potential:

Animal Husbandry Skill: Leveling up your Animal Husbandry skill increases your animal’s happiness and the quality of their products. Focus on tasks that improve your skill, such as petting and feeding your animals regularly.
The Gatherer Profession: At Foraging Level 5, choose the Gatherer profession. This gives you a 20% chance to get double forage items, including truffles.
The Botanist Profession: At Foraging Level 10 (after choosing Gatherer), choose the Botanist profession. This makes all foraged items, including truffles, iridium quality, significantly increasing their value.
Fence Placement: Fencing off an area for your pigs can prevent them from wandering too far and getting lost. Ensure the fenced area has plenty of grass for them to graze on.
Winter Planning: Stockpile a large amount of hay before winter to ensure your pigs are well-fed during the months they cannot forage outside.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When learning how to get pigs in Stardew Valley, avoid these common mistakes:

Forgetting to Feed Your Pigs: A hungry pig won’t produce truffles. Always ensure they have access to hay, especially during winter.
Leaving Barn Doors Closed: Pigs need to go outside to find truffles. Remember to open the barn doors every morning unless it’s raining or snowing.
Ignoring Happiness Levels: Unhappy pigs produce fewer and lower quality truffles. Pet them daily and ensure they have enough space.
Selling Truffles Raw Too Early: While selling raw truffles is profitable, investing in an Oil Maker and producing Truffle Oil will yield a significantly higher return.

Conclusion

Understanding how to get pigs in Stardew Valley and properly caring for them is a key to maximizing your farm’s profitability. By upgrading your barn, purchasing pigs, providing them with food and care, and processing their truffles into Truffle Oil, you can significantly boost your income. Remember to focus on increasing your animal husbandry skills and choosing the right professions to further enhance your pig’s truffle production. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful pig farmer in Stardew Valley. Good luck, and happy farming! Don’t forget to check out other guides on [See also: Raising Chickens in Stardew Valley] and [See also: Building a Coop in Stardew Valley] for more tips on animal husbandry.