How to feed animals rimworld

Overview

In the survival simulation game RimWorld, managing the needs of domesticated and wild animals is a core component of colony management. Proper feeding is paramount for maintaining animal health, ensuring their productivity (milk, wool, meat, combat ability), and preventing them from dying of starvation. This guide will detail the various methods and considerations for feeding animals in RimWorld.

Animal Diets

RimWorld categorizes animals based on their dietary requirements:

• Herbivores: These animals primarily eat plants. This includes hay, kibble, and fresh food like berries, rice, and vegetables.
• Carnivores: These animals require meat to survive. This can be raw meat from hunted animals, kibble, or even human meat.
• Omnivores: These animals can eat both plants and meat, offering more flexibility in feeding them.

Understanding your animal's diet is the first step to ensuring they are properly fed. Attempting to feed a carnivore only plants will quickly lead to malnutrition and death.

Methods of Feeding Animals

There are several ways to ensure your animals receive their daily sustenance:

1. Drug Policies (Recommended for Domesticated Animals)

The most efficient way to manage feeding for a group of domesticated animals is through the 'Drug Policies' system, which also handles feeding. While named 'Drug Policies', this system can be configured to manage food intake. You can create a custom policy that dictates what food types your animals are allowed to consume and when. By assigning this policy to your animals, colonists will automatically feed them according to the policy's rules, prioritizing designated food sources.

• Creating a Policy: Access the 'Policies' tab, then select 'Drug Policies'. Click 'Add policy' and name it something like 'Animal Food'.
• Configuring the Policy: Within the policy, you can set specific foods (e.g., 'Hay', 'Kibble', 'Meat') and assign a 'take if below' threshold. For feeding, you'll set the food items your animals should eat.
• Assigning the Policy: Go to the 'Animals' tab, select the animal(s) you wish to manage, and assign them the 'Animal Food' policy you created.

This method automates the feeding process, reducing the micromanagement required from your colonists.

2. Manual Feeding Orders

You can directly order a colonist to feed a specific animal. This is useful for immediate needs or for animals not covered by a drug policy. Select a colonist, right-click on the animal, and choose 'Feed prisoner' (this option appears for animals too, though it's a slightly misleading label). This is a less efficient method for large numbers of animals but can be a quick fix.

3. Access to Food Storage

If animals are allowed to roam freely within your base or a designated pen, and they have direct access to a stockpile containing their appropriate food, they may eat directly from the stockpile. However, this is generally less reliable than using drug policies, as animals might wander off, or the food might not be readily accessible. It's often better to have colonists manage the feeding or have dedicated feeding troughs.

4. Taming and Feeding Wild Animals

When taming wild animals, the tamer will often bring food with them. The success rate of taming is influenced by the tamer's skill and the availability of food. Once tamed, they become domesticated and fall under the feeding protocols for your colony's animals.

Food Sources for Animals

Ensuring a steady supply of food is critical:

• Hay: Grown from Haygrass, it's a primary food source for many herbivores. It needs to be harvested and stored in a stockpile.
• Kibble: A processed food made from a mix of plants and meat in a butcher table. It's a versatile food that can be eaten by most animals, though it provides slightly fewer nutrients than fresh food.
• Raw Meat/Plants: Carnivores can eat raw meat, and herbivores can eat raw plants. This is useful for immediate feeding or if specific processing facilities are unavailable.
• Animal Products: Some animals can be fed by slaughtering other animals, providing a sustainable source of meat for carnivores.
• Food Animals: Raising specific animals like chickens or cows that reproduce can provide a continuous supply of meat or other products.

Consequences of Starvation

If animals are not fed regularly, they will begin to suffer from starvation. This manifests as:

• Health Penalties: Animals will develop health issues, reducing their efficiency and potentially leading to permanent damage.
• Reduced Productivity: Even before severe health impacts, starving animals will produce less wool, milk, or be less effective in combat.
• Death: Prolonged starvation will inevitably lead to the animal's death.

It is therefore essential to have a reliable feeding system in place, especially as your colony grows and your animal population increases.

Tips for Efficient Animal Feeding

• Designated Pens: Keep your animals in designated pens to control their movement and ensure they are near their food source or feeding stations.
• Stockpile Management: Ensure your food stockpiles are appropriately set up to store hay, kibble, and meat, and that they are accessible to animals or designated feeders.
• Automate Where Possible: Use the drug policy system for automated feeding of your domesticated herd.
• Monitor Food Levels: Regularly check your food reserves to ensure you have enough to sustain your animals, especially during harsh winters or raids.
• Consider Diet Diversity: While kibble is versatile, try to provide fresh food when possible for better health and productivity bonuses.

Effective animal feeding in RimWorld requires planning and consistent management. By understanding animal diets, utilizing the available feeding mechanics, and securing reliable food sources, you can ensure your animal companions contribute positively to your colony's survival and prosperity.