Animals (Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town)

Dog

Your dog is given to you at the beginning of the game. When you start, he is a puppy, but by the beginning of Fall, he will be fully grown. You don't have to take care of your dog. He is really only needed to win the power berry on Beach day (he must be fully grown to enter the contest). To care for him, all you really need to do is to take him indoors when it rains.

Horse

You get the horse from Barley a few days after you start the game. He will ask you to take care of it, and if you say yes, you can give it a name. Your horse will be fully grown after one year and, when he is fully grown, you may participate in the horse races! Other than that, your horse serves a few other purposes other than racing such as a ride around your farm and a shipping bag. You will be able to win a power berry in the Horse races. To care for him, you must brush him, talk to him, and put him indoors when it is raining.

Chickens

To get chickens, you have to go to the Poultry Farm and buy them. They cost 1500 G and you can name them after the purchase. While you are there buying your chicken, it would be best to buy some chicken food for it as well, it is cheap at 10 G a purchase. As a money saver, you don't have to buy more than one chicken, you can put the eggs that the chicken makes in the incubator and after three days it will hatch into a baby chick. It will take eight days to fully grow an egg. To care for them, you must feed each individual chicken every day. Or, if you are low on money, you can leave them outdoors on sunny days for them to eat worms. However, you must take them indoors on rainy days. Your chickens will not produce eggs until they are fully grown. After your chickens grow to like you more, their eggs will increase in value.

Cows

To get cows, you must go to the Yodel Ranch and buy them for 5000 G each, and you get to name it as well. While you are there, it is best to buy food for it which is 20 G a piece. To save money, it is recommended that you only buy one cow because when it fully grows up you can impregnate it. But it costs 3000 G to impregnate, 20 days to be born, and another 20 for it to fully grow to produce milk. The mother cow does not give you milk while she is pregnant. So it is actually better to buy the cows, rather then get your current ones pregnant. Cows always give milk, so be sure to milk them every day. But you cannot milk the cow until you buy the milker from the blacksmith, so be sure to do that first! To care for them, you must brush, talk, and feed them once a day. If you are low on money, you can leave them outside on sunny days after you plant grass and they will eat it. If it's raining outside, you must put them indoors. You could also cut the planted grass for their food. The milk that your adult cows give you will increase in value the more they love you.

Sheep

To get sheep, you must go and buy them at the Yodel Ranch for 4000 G each and you can name them. While you are there purchasing your sheep, it is best to get food for it, which is 20 G a piece. You only really need to buy one sheep, because you can impregnate it for 3000 G. However, it takes 20 days to be born and 20 days to fully grow, and during that time you cannot sheer the mother sheep. So, it is best to just buy the sheep instead of impregnating your current ones. All sheep produce wool once they are fully grown, so shear them when it is needed. You cannot sheer the sheep until you buy the sheers from the blacksmith, so be sure to do that first. You can grow your own food for them, just like the grass for cows. Their wool increases in value depending on how much they like you. To care for them, you must brush them, talk to them, and feed them every day. If you are low on money, you can let them go outside to eat grass, just like the cows.