Project Zomboid is an open-world zombie survival game set in post-apocalyptic Kentucky, where players must scavenge, craft, and survive for as long as possible. With Build 42, the game introduced Animal Ranching - a deep new system allowing players to domesticate, raise, and breed livestock.
Animal ranching brings a new layer of realism and sustainability to survival, letting players produce renewable resources like milk, meat, eggs, leather, and wool. To succeed, players must feed, water, and shelter their animals while managing breeding cycles and protecting them from the dangers of the apocalypse.
Animal | Products | Mating Season | Notes |
Cows | Milk, Meat, Leather | None | Bulls can be aggressive and fight each other. Calves need their mother’s milk. Cows produce milk only after giving birth. |
Pigs | Meat, Leather | Sept – Feb | Can be aggressive. Sows do not produce milk. |
Chickens | Eggs, Meat, Feathers, Chicken Feet | None | Requires a Chicken Hutch for shelter and egg laying. Needs a Rooster nearby for eggs to hatch. Keep the hutch door closed at night to protect from predators. Clean the hutch regularly. |
Rabbits | Small Meat | None | Breed quickly and can be tamed faster when picked up. |
Rats & Mice | Small Meat | None | Breed extremely fast, can mate while adolescent, and can be led with a rope. |
Sheep | Wool, Meat, Milk | Sept – Feb | Rams can be aggressive and fight. Lambs need their mother’s milk. Wool can be spun into yarn or thread. |
Turkeys | Meat, Feathers | April – May | Bred mainly for meat and feathers. |
