How to Get a Pig in Stardew Valley
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How to Get a Pig in Stardew Valley
Step-by-Step: Getting Your First PigPig TipsPigs represent one of Stardew Valley’s most satisfying long-term investments precisely because of how long they take to set up and how well they pay off once running. The 59,000g+ entry cost is significant in Year 1 terms but modest by Year 2 standards, and a fully operational Pig operation with Artisan profession and Oil Makers generates income that competes with the best crop setups in the game — without requiring seasonal replanting, fertilizer management, or daily harvesting beyond opening the barn door. The income is also remarkably stable: unlike crop farming which is seasonal and weather-dependent for planting, Pigs produce on every clear non-Winter day automatically. For players building toward a fully optimized farm, the Pig + Oil Maker + Artisan pipeline is one of the highest-ROI systems available and rewards the patience to set it up properly. See the Pale Ale guide for the Keg-based artisan income system that pairs well with Pig income during Summer, and the tool upgrade guide for maximizing efficiency across your whole farm operation.FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Pig — Key NumbersBuy a Pig from Marnie’s Ranch for 16,000g — but first you need a Deluxe Barn (the third barn upgrade, costs 43,000g + materials total). Pigs find Truffles outdoors during Spring, Summer, and Fall — each Truffle sells for 625g base (1,250g with Artisan profession as Truffle Oil). A single happy Pig finds 1 Truffle per day outside, making them one of the highest gold-per-day animals in the game once set up.
| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | 16,000g | From Marnie’s Ranch |
| Required building | Deluxe Barn | 3rd barn upgrade — costs 43,000g total |
| Truffle value (base) | 625g | Iridium quality: 1,250g |
| Truffle Oil value (Artisan) | 1,491g | Process in Oil Maker with Artisan profession |
| Truffle finds per day | 1 (happy pig, outdoors) | 0 in Winter or rainy days |
| Seasons active | Spring, Summer, Fall | Stays indoors in Winter — no Truffles |
| Full friendship (max hearts) | 5 hearts | Needed for Iridium quality Truffles |
1
Build a Barn first — then upgrade it twice. Pigs require a Deluxe Barn — the third tier of barn. You must build and upgrade in sequence. Barn (Robin, 6,000g + 350 Wood + 150 Stone → takes 3 days to build) → Big Barn upgrade (12,000g + 450 Wood + 200 Stone → 3 days) → Deluxe Barn upgrade (25,000g + 550 Wood + 300 Stone → 3 days). Total cost: 43,000g + 1,350 Wood + 650 Stone across three construction phases. Plan ahead — the whole process takes a minimum of 9 farm days if you have the gold ready for each upgrade immediately.
2
Gather the gold — Pigs are a late Year 1 or Year 2 investment. The Deluxe Barn alone costs 43,000g in construction before you even buy the Pig (16,000g). Total investment: approximately 59,000g minimum. The fastest way to accumulate this: sell high-value crops (Starfruit, Ancient Fruit, Pumpkins), process items through Kegs for Pale Ale or Wine, complete bundle rewards for bonus gold, and mine for Gems in the Skull Cavern. Most players unlock Pigs in Summer or Fall of Year 2 — rushing for them in Year 1 is possible but requires efficient resource management from Day 1.
3
Buy a Pig from Marnie’s Ranch. Once your Deluxe Barn is built, visit Marnie’s Ranch south of your farm (open most days 9am–6pm, closed Tuesdays and some holidays). Talk to Marnie and select «Purchase Animals.» Choose Pig from the list for 16,000g — you’ll be prompted to name it and it moves into your Deluxe Barn the next morning. Buy multiple Pigs at once if your gold allows — each additional Pig adds another daily Truffle, compounding income significantly. A Deluxe Barn holds up to 12 animals total.
4
Build friendship to maximum — pet your Pig every day. A Pig’s Truffle quality scales with friendship — at maximum friendship (5 hearts / 1000 friendship points), Pigs produce Iridium quality Truffles worth 1,250g each (or 1,491g as Truffle Oil with Artisan). Build friendship by: petting the Pig daily (+15 points), letting it graze outside on non-rainy days (+8 points), keeping the Barn clean with a Heater in Winter. It takes approximately 50–60 days of consistent petting and outdoor grazing to reach maximum friendship from zero.
5
Open the Barn door every morning so Pigs can go outside. Pigs only find Truffles when they are outside the Barn. Each morning, open the large Barn door by interacting with it — Pigs walk out automatically and spend the day foraging for Truffles. A happy, full-friendship Pig finds 1 Truffle per day outdoors. Truffles appear as brown spots on the ground outside — collect them at end of day before going to bed or they disappear overnight. In rainy weather, Pigs stay inside and produce no Truffles — nothing you can do on rainy days.
6
Process Truffles into Truffle Oil for maximum profit. Raw Truffles sell for 625–1,250g depending on quality. Processing them in an Oil Maker (crafted at Farming Level 8: 50 Hardwood + 1 Gold Bar + 1 Copper Bar) produces Truffle Oil — always the same value regardless of Truffle quality. With the Artisan profession (Farming Level 10), Truffle Oil sells for 1,491g per bottle — more than even Iridium Truffles sold raw. The Oil Maker takes 3 in-game hours to process one Truffle. With multiple Pigs producing daily, a row of Oil Makers keeps up with output automatically.
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4 Pigs + Artisan + Oil Makers = ~6,000g per clear day passively: with 4 fully friended Pigs outside on a clear day, you collect 4 Truffles → process into 4 Truffle Oils → sell for 1,491g each = 5,964g per day with minimal effort (just open the Barn door and collect). This is one of the highest passive daily income rates available without complex systems. Scale up to 8–12 Pigs in a dedicated Deluxe Barn for even higher output.
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Install a Heater in Winter to maintain friendship — Pigs lose hearts without it: during Winter, Pigs stay inside and produce nothing. Without a Heater (purchased from Marnie for 2,000g) in your Barn, animals lose friendship points during cold weather. Buy a Heater before your first Winter with Pigs to maintain their friendship level through the dead season. You’ll lose 3 months of Truffle income to Winter regardless — don’t also lose friendship progress.
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Truffles don’t disappear if you have a Pig with high friendship — they roll over: unlike some crops, Truffles left on the ground overnight are NOT lost — they remain until you collect them. If you miss a day of collection, the Truffles from the previous day are still there in the morning alongside fresh ones. This means you can go on a mining trip or Community Center run without losing Truffle income — just collect everything when you return.
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Pigs count toward the «Full Shipment» goal for perfection: for players pursuing the 100% perfection completion in Stardew Valley, Pigs and Truffle Oil are required items for the full shipment checklist. Getting at least one Pig and shipping one Truffle Oil checks off both items simultaneously — making the investment worthwhile even for players who don’t plan to run a large Pig operation long-term.
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Give Pigs treats to boost friendship faster — they love Truffles: Pigs have a loved gift that boosts friendship significantly faster than daily petting alone. Interestingly, Pigs love Truffles themselves — feeding one of your own Truffles back to a Pig gives a large friendship boost. This is most useful when first getting Pigs to help reach maximum friendship faster, so they start producing Iridium quality Truffles sooner.
How do you get a Pig in Stardew Valley?
Build a Deluxe Barn (third tier barn — requires upgrading a Barn twice via Robin, total cost ~43,000g + materials), then buy a Pig from Marnie’s Ranch for 16,000g. Marnie is open most days 9am–6pm, closed Tuesdays. The Pig moves into your Deluxe Barn the morning after purchase.
What do Pigs do in Stardew Valley?
Pigs find Truffles — high-value foraged items — when let outside on clear (non-rainy) days during Spring, Summer, and Fall. Each fully friended Pig finds 1 Truffle per outdoor day. Truffles sell for 625–1,250g raw, or process them in an Oil Maker into Truffle Oil (1,491g with Artisan profession) for maximum value.
Why is my Pig not finding Truffles in Stardew Valley?
Common causes: the Barn door is not open (Pigs must go outside), it’s raining (Pigs stay in on rainy days — no Truffles), it’s Winter (Pigs don’t produce in Winter), or the Pig’s friendship is low (higher friendship = more reliable daily Truffles). Pet your Pig every day and let it graze outside to build friendship. A Pig with low friendship may not find Truffles every day even outdoors.
Is Truffle Oil worth making in Stardew Valley?
Yes — with the Artisan profession (Farming Level 10), Truffle Oil sells for 1,491g per bottle, which is more than even Iridium quality raw Truffles (1,250g). Processing always increases value over selling raw when you have Artisan. The Oil Maker takes 3 in-game hours per Truffle — keep multiple Oil Makers running in parallel to process bulk Truffle output from several Pigs.