🐔 Chickens
Overview
Chicken farming in XenoSO provides players with the ability to raise chickens and chicks for egg production. Chickens are purchased through the nesting box and require ongoing care to maintain their health and productivity. Adult chickens lay eggs that can be collected for baking purposes, while also having the ability to reproduce and create chicks that mature into adult chickens over time.
The system includes three distinct chicken types: regular chickens, Roosters (which increase egg laying chances), and White Chickens (which lay rare eggs).
Chickens possess four distinct meters that must be monitored: hunger, social, energy, and mood. The mood meter represents the average of the three primary needs (hunger, social, and energy). Proper management of these meters is essential to maintain chicken health and prevent mortality. Players can either allow chickens to self-regulate through natural behaviors (eating from feeders, socializing with other chickens, and sleeping) or provide direct intervention through manual care methods such as petting and hand feeding.
Getting Started
Nesting Box
The nesting box is essential for purchasing and housing chickens on your lot.
- Available From: Buy Mode > Pets category
- Price: $7,500
- Function: Used to purchase chickens and serves as a spawn point for eggs
Purchasing Chickens
Once you have a nesting box, you can purchase chickens and chicks:
| Type | Price | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken (Adult) | $1,250 | Standard egg layer |
| Chick (Baby) | $625 | Grows into adult chicken |
| Rooster | $7,500 | Increases egg laying chances (limit: 1 per lot) |
| White Chicken | $1,250 | Lays 5 rare eggs (limit: 1 per lot, rare growth from chicks) |
Chicken Types Explained
- Regular Chickens: Standard chickens that lay eggs when conditions are met. No special restrictions or bonuses.
- Roosters: Special chickens that increase the egg laying chances for all chickens on your lot. You can only own one Rooster at a time. Having a Rooster significantly improves your farm's egg production rate.
- White Chickens: Rare special chickens that lay 5 rare eggs instead of regular eggs. You can only own one White Chicken at a time. White Chickens have a rare chance to grow from chicks - you cannot directly purchase an adult White Chicken, they must grow naturally from the chick stage. These chickens only lay the rare eggs if there's a Rooster on the lot.
Feeders
Feeders are required to provide sustenance for chickens. Two feeder types are available with identical functionality but different visual appearances:
- Types Available: Feed Sacks or Feed Bucket
- Cost Per Feeding: $200
- Function: Clicking on a feeder dispenses food in the surrounding area. Chickens will automatically consume food from the dispensed supply.
- Food Depletion: Food gradually depletes as chickens consume it and will eventually disappear, requiring additional feeding
Chicken Care
Needs & Meters
Chickens have 3 meters that must be maintained to ensure they're well-treated:
- Hunger: Fed through feeders or hand feeding
- Social: Maintained through interaction with other chickens
- Energy: Restored through rest or petting
- Mood: Average of the 3 meters above (Hunger, Social, Energy)
Important: Maintaining adequate meter levels is essential to prevent chicken mortality.
Manual Care Methods
Players have the option to manually intervene in chicken care to rapidly increase meter levels:
- Petting: Petting a chicken will instantly restore its energy meter to maximum capacity (100).
- Hand Feeding: Hand feeding a chicken for $15 will instantly restore its hunger meter to maximum capacity (100).
These manual interventions are optional, as chickens can autonomously maintain their needs through natural behaviors including social interaction with other chickens, consuming food from feeders, and resting. However, manual care methods are particularly effective for players attempting to optimize egg production during the 6 AM to 7 AM time window by ensuring all meters remain at or above the 50-point threshold required for egg laying.
Additional Behaviors
- Pest Control: Chickens will consume mice and roaches as a means of pest elimination. This behavior does not contribute to hunger satisfaction.
- Mortality: Chickens may experience random death events to simulate natural aging. Following death, chickens will automatically remove themselves from the lot after a substantial delay. This delayed removal mechanism prevents chickens from becoming permanently stuck in inaccessible terrain areas.
Egg Production
Egg Laying Requirements
For chickens to lay eggs, the following conditions must be met:
- Meter Requirements: Hunger, Mood, and Energy must be 50 or above
- Note: Mood is checked because it indirectly verifies all 3 needs (Social, Energy, Hunger) since mood is the average of all 3 meters
- Nesting Box: At least 1 nesting box must be present anywhere on your lot
- Time Window: Eggs only spawn between 6 AM and 7 AM
- Rooster Bonus: Having a Rooster on your lot increases egg laying chances for all chickens
The designated time window provides players with a predictable schedule for egg collection activities. This time constraint can be leveraged by utilizing manual care methods (petting and hand feeding) to ensure meter requirements are met during the optimal egg-laying period.
Egg Types
- Regular Eggs: Laid by regular chickens and Roosters. Used as ingredients for baking recipes.
- Rare Eggs: Laid exclusively by White Chickens. A White Chicken will lay a set of 5 different eggs ranging from more common to more rare. These eggs are highly valuable and can be used for special recipes or sold.
Egg Collection
Critical: Eggs spawn on the ground in proximity to chickens. Players must collect eggs and add them to their inventory to establish ownership. Uncollected eggs remain available for collection by any player on the lot. Constructing an enclosure around chickens can prevent unauthorized egg collection by other players.
Egg Usage
Collected eggs serve as ingredients for baking recipes, including cakes and other dishes requiring eggs.
Breeding & Growth
Reproduction
- Breeding Window: Chicken reproduction occurs exclusively between 6 AM and 7 AM and they only reproduce if there's a Rooster on your property
- Maturation: Chicks mature into adult chickens at any time during the day cycle, independent of the breeding time restriction
- White Chicken Growth: Chicks have a rare chance to grow into White Chickens instead of regular chickens. This is the only way to obtain a White Chicken, as they cannot be directly purchased as adults
The synchronized time window for both egg production and reproduction (6 AM to 7 AM) enables efficient farm management by consolidating critical chicken farming activities into a single daily period.
Selling Chickens
Chickens can be sold with the following method:
- Direct Interaction: Clicking on individual chickens provides a sell option for immediate transaction, giving you a partial refund of what you paid for originally
Tips & Strategies
- Time Management: Set an alarm or check in between 6 AM and 7 AM for egg collection and breeding opportunities
- Manual Care: Use petting and hand feeding during the 6-7 AM window to quickly boost meters to 50+ for optimal egg laying
- Enclosure: Build an enclosure around your chickens to prevent other players from stealing eggs before you collect them
- Multiple Feeders: Place multiple feeders to ensure all chickens can access food easily
- Monitor Meters: Keep Hunger, Mood, and Energy above 50 to ensure consistent egg production
- Nesting Boxes: You must have at least one nesting box on the lot. Adding more does not improve egg frequency or quantity
- Priority Purchase - Rooster: Consider buying a Rooster to increase egg laying chances for your entire flock. The Rooster bonus applies to all chickens on your lot. Chickens will still lay eggs without a Rooster, but having one increases the chances.
- White Chicken Rarity: White Chickens are extremely rare and can only grow from chicks. You cannot buy them directly as adults. Be patient and raise multiple chicks to increase your chances of getting a White Chicken. Remember you can only own one White Chicken at a time, and it will lay a set of 5 different eggs ranging from more common to more rare.
- Breeding Strategy: If you're trying to get a White Chicken, purchase multiple chicks and let them mature. The more chicks you raise, the better your chances of getting the rare White Chicken growth
- Start Small: Begin with a few chickens to learn the system before investing in a large flock
- Chick Investment: Chicks cost half the price of adult chickens ($625 vs $1,250), making them a more economical option if you're patient
- Cost Efficiency: Automatic feeding via feeders ($200) is more cost-effective than hand feeding each chicken ($15 per chicken) for large flocks