Opening the gates of a [[Coop]] or [[Barn]] will allow animals to come outside (when the [[weather]] is not rainy, snowy, or stormy) and eat [[grass]]. The animals will return to their buildings by 6pm to sleep. Closing the gates again in the evening will prevent them from leaving immediately in the morning to eat grass. They can be opened again during the day to allow them to eat. Closing the gate before all the animals have returned will result in the ones being left out over night making them vulnerable to wolves and if not eaten they will have their mood reduced from being left out in the cold.
If the animals remain inside or do not find grass to eat, they will instead eat hay. To feed them hay you can take some by clicking on the hay hopper (which automatically takes hay from the silo) and put it in the feeding bench. The [[Coop|Deluxe Coop]] and the [[Barn|Deluxe Barn]] will distribute the hay automatically. Each animal eats one "portion" of hay per day.
Once a [[silo]] has been constructed on the farm, using a [[scythe]] on grass will place hay inside the silo (50% chance per grass). Each silo holds 240 pieces of hay. Hay can then be gathered from hoppers inside barns and coops and placed in the feeding bins nearby. Building a silo before building animal buildings can make care much easier, though hay can be purchased from [[Marnie's Ranch]] even if the silo has not been built.
In the winter, snow covers the grass completely, making grazing impossible. Therefore, it may be advisable to use the scythe to cut some or all of the grass into hay before the end of the fall season to ensure enough reserve hay to feed your animals through the winter.