Stardew Valley Creator Explains Why Chickens Are Disappearing in Patch 1.6 and Blames It on a Wild Coyote

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone finally brought update 1.6 to console and mobile devices today, but there’s one small issue – everyone’s chickens are going missing.

The developer warned players about the poultry disappearances in a post on X/Twitter. He says that those who start a new meadowlands farm and open their animal door on day one will find that their chickens are vanishing. It’s a public service announcement that let’s players know that there's a small issue with update 1.6, and a fix is on the way. Until a follow-up patch arrives, ConcernedApe says players can blame their missing chickens on a sneaky coyote that only appears on day one.

PSA: there is currently an issue, if you start a new farm on the meadowlands farm and open the animal door on the coop day 1, your chickens will disappear. If you leave the door closed for one day, it should save them. We will fix this. Lore: There is a wild coyote on the farm…

It’s unclear when Stardew Valley will fix its missing chicken problem. In the meantime, update 1.6 brings a field of other changes and additions for those still digging into the massively popular, cozy farming sim. Following its arrival on PC this past March, the update dropped Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One today (you can see the full patch notes here), adding the ability to find lost items, use cheat commands on certain platforms, and more. ConcernedApe recommends players start a new farm to see everything update 1.6 has to offer, which is why it’s so important to make sure the word about that pesky coyote gets out there.

We gave Stardew Valley a 10/10 in our updated 2024 review, calling it a “modern classic with an endless list of enticing activities to complete and a deeply satisfying time management challenge to take on.” For more on ConcernedApe’s farming masterpiece, you can read about how the creator only just managed to nab the game’s hardest achievement last week.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.