Animal Husbandry Mod for Stardew Valley
Expands animal husbandry: meat and recipes, insemination, treats for your animals and an animal contest. Version 2.8.1 (March 2026) for 1.6.
Download Animal Husbandry Mod
More screenshots on Nexus Mods ↗
What this mod does
Animal Husbandry Mod (formerly ButcherMod), by Digus, deepens farm animal raising with new tools and activities.
What it adds
- Meat production: with the meat cleaver, adult animals give meat (and wool, duck feathers or rabbit’s feet). There are new recipes with buffs that you learn on TV and by mail.
- An insemination syringe so animals can have babies, and a feeding basket to give them treats.
- An animal contest on the 26th of spring and fall, with a participant ribbon.
- New TV channels and console commands.
If you’d prefer something gentler, Softmode swaps the cleaver for a magic wand, and Softermode takes meat one piece at a time without removing the animal, at the cost of friendship. Almost everything can be turned on or off separately, including with Generic Mod Config Menu.
Requirements and compatibility
It needs SMAPI and Mail Framework Mod. Version 2.6.3 adapted it to 1.6, and 2.8.1 is from March 10, 2026. It works in multiplayer, but not on Android. The author warns of possible crashes on macOS with the basket and syringe menus. There are separate Spanish translations on Nexus.
User rating
Highlights and things to keep in mind
- Lots of new content for animal raising
- Each feature can be turned on separately
- Updated in 2026
- Works in multiplayer
- Meat production may not be for everyone (it can be disabled)
- Doesn't work on Android
- Possible crashes on macOS with some menus
Requirements
- Stardew Valley 1.6.x (PC only; doesn't work on Android)
- SMAPI 4.x
- Mail Framework Mod
- Optional: Generic Mod Config Menu
How to install it
- Install SMAPI and Mail Framework Mod (on Nexus) first and launch the game once with SMAPI to make sure they load.
- Open the Animal Husbandry Mod page on Nexus Mods, go to the Files tab and click Manual download on the main file (AnimalHusbandryMod-v2.8.1). You need a free Nexus account to download.
- Extract the .zip outside the game folder and move the resulting folder into the Mods folder, inside the game folder.
- Optional: for a Spanish version, download 'Animal Husbandry - (Spanish) (1.6)' by Juanpa98ar on Nexus.
- If you'd rather not slaughter animals, turn on Softmode or Softermode in the settings, or disable meat.
- Launch the game with SMAPI and check the console window to make sure Animal Husbandry Mod appears among the loaded mods without red errors.
Version history
-
2.8.110 Mar 2026Current
Small fix
-
2.8.05 Nov 2025
Previous version
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2.7.01 Apr 2025
Previous version
Common problems
Can I use it without slaughtering animals?
Yes. You can disable meat, or use Softermode, which takes meat without removing the animal (at the cost of friendship).
Does it work in co-op?
Yes; since 2.5.0, farmhands can also feed and inseminate animals.
Is it available in Spanish?
There are separate translations on Nexus, such as Juanpa98ar's, which is marked for 1.6.
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