Cow Field

Introduction
Cow fields can produce three products that can be eaten or used in workshops to craft other items: cow carcasses (unrefined meat), hides, and milk. Cows produce two products which fulfill two very different stat requirements (Strength and Intelligence) in addition to hunger points.

Cow carcasses must be converted to steak by a butcher before they can be eaten. After the butcher has prepared them, each steak can be eaten for 2 Strength and 2 Hunger stat points. Milk may be drunk for one Hunger stat point and one Intellignece point.

Hides are used by weavers, carpenters, and blacksmiths in crafting special items.

Cow fields produce best during the Fall season (which occurs from September 1 - December 14 every year)

Requirements
Cow fields are available to level 1 players and above.

You may chose a Cow field when initially leveling from level 0 to level 1 in the Level Scribe's Office or you may change an existing field to a Cow field at any time [My Property > My First/Second field]. Please note that if you change your field you will need to pay 50f and you will lose everything you were working on that field.

It is highly recommended you check with your local Mentor or Mayor to find out what type of field your town needs the most to avoid overproduction. Their recommendation will show when you are with the Level Scribe.

Buying Cows
A field can accommodate up to 4 cows at a time at a cost of about 50f per cow (exact pricing determined by each Viceroyalty) and can be purchased directly from the Viceroyalty from your field options under [My Property > My First Field] or [My Property > My Second Field]. Each cow is purchased separately; they can be staggered out and bought on different days, or if all 4 field spots are empty then 4 new cows can purchased on the same day.

If the Viceroyalty has fed the cows, then you will not need to do so that day.

Care and Life Cycle
Once purchased, each cow has it's own health rating which fluctuates randomly based on the health of the cow and whether you are in season or not. Cows can be fed wheat daily to maintain their health and increase their longevity. Some cow farmers have a precise method of alternating feeding to give the biggest bang for the buck, but it is something you may wish to experiment with during season. The wheat must be placed in your Storage Box [My Property > My Storage Box]. Each cow can eat 1 bag of wheat a day. In Version 3, you will be able to select each cow you wish to feed and select [Feed]. You can also select [Feed All].

A healthy cow can produce 1-4 bottles of milk when milked that will decrease in number as the cows age. Cows may be milked separately (1, 2, 3, or 4 cows in a day) using the [Milk] link next to each cow, or a job can be posted to hire a worker to milk all the cows at once. Hiring help costs money but will also grant the field owner one Worker Point. If you have the money to hire a worker for the day you can see the details of the last 10 job contracts under Town Jobs [Town > Town Jobs] to help you in setting a competitive wage for the job. If you choose to do the work yourself then you can not work another job that day. No items are required to milk a cow.

If milked, the milk bottles will appear in your Storage Box [My Property > My Storage Box] and can be seen recorded in your Events for the day [Me > My Events].

It's important to note that cows out of season (all seasons except fall) will be harder to maintain and will not produce the same amount of yields.

Starting with Version 3, you may also lose part of your crop from animals looking for a tasty treat. Add a Scarecrow to help drive them away by selecting Add Scarecrow (and having one in your storage box). A Scarecrow also gives +1 Opulence.

Slaughtering
Once a cow's health drops a bit below 50%, it will no longer produce milk, but can still be slaughtered to produce a carcass for butchering and hides that can be sold to workshops for further processing. The healthier the cow, the more hides and pieces of carcass will be produced, averaging between 1-3 hides per cow and 0-6 pieces of carcass if the cow is properly slaughtered during in season. A farmer has a chance of getting 7 pieces of carcass if the cow's health has been maintained over a long time. Cows who die on their own will still produce pieces of carcass and hides, but not as many as if they were slaughtered.

In Version 2, Cows can be milked or slaughtered separately. In Version 3, Cows can only be milked or slaughtered together. A job can be posted to hire a worker to slaughter all the cows at once. Hiring help costs money and yields from hiring may be better than if you slaughter the animals yourself. The upside to hiring is that you may get a worker point if you hire a Peasant and you will always get a worker point if you hire another player. Again, no items are required to slaughter the cows.

It is also important to note that if your cow is listed as underdeveloped that it will show on your field screen. This will mean that you will get less from them if you slaughter them.

Conclusion
Milk, hides, and carcasses will appear in your storage box [My Property > My Storage Box]. They can be moved to your Inventory and then placed on the market at your desired price if you are in town.

If you are out of town, you must have a Steward to be able to sell crops on your home market. You can purchase a Steward from the town market. Your steward can sell from your storage box.

Also, don't forget that others may be a good source of feedback on their experiences with Cows. You may find it very helpful to talk with Butchers and other Cow farmers to get a handle on the intricacies of the field.

Quick Reference
Back to Fields