In Stardew Valley, increasing your friendship with chickens (and other animals) is important as it can lead to various benefits, such as higher-quality animal products and certain friendship events. To increase chicken friendship, follow these steps:
Purchase and Place a Coop: First, you need to have a coop on your farm. You can purchase a coop from Robin's Carpenter Shop. After building it, make sure to place it in an appropriate location on your farm.
Obtain Chickens: You can buy chickens from Marnie's Ranch for 800 gold each. Once you have purchased the chickens, bring them to the coop and place them inside.
Feeding: Chickens need to be fed daily. Ensure that you provide them with proper animal feed, which you can purchase from Marnie or craft using hay in a Silo. If they are outside, they will also eat grass, but it's a good idea to keep their feed trough filled to guarantee they are well-fed.
Pet and Interact: Regularly interact with your chickens by right-clicking or pressing the interaction button (A button on most platforms) while standing near them. This will cause a heart icon to appear above their heads, indicating that their friendship is increasing.
Keep Them Happy: Make sure your chickens are happy by ensuring they have enough space inside the coop, the coop is clean, and they have access to fresh air and outdoor space on sunny days.
Name Your Chickens: Naming your chickens will slightly increase their friendship.
Give Them Gifts: Just like with other villagers, you can also give gifts to your chickens to increase friendship. They love certain items, such as Eggs and some other forage items. You can experiment with different items and see which ones they like the most.
Let Them Outside: On sunny days, let your chickens outside to roam around the farm. They will be happier and have more opportunities to find and eat grass.
Upgrade Coop: As you progress in the game and have more resources, you can consider upgrading your coop to a Big Coop or Deluxe Coop, which allows you to keep more chickens and other animals, thus increasing your overall friendship potential.
Remember that increasing friendship with your chickens will take time and consistency. Interact with them daily, keep them well-fed and happy, and give them gifts they like to see their friendship grow. As their friendship level increases, you'll notice more hearts appearing above their heads, indicating your progress.