
Smart Feeding Troughs
Smart Feeding Troughs automatically feeds and breeds nearby animals in a natural and vanilla-friendly way. Also adds an edible Hay Bale Block which allows wheat eating animals to feed directly from the bale.
Screenshots

About this Mod
Smart Feeding Troughs
Smart Feeding Troughs automatically feeds and breeds nearby animals in a natural and vanilla-friendly way. Also adds an edible Hay Bale Block which allows wheat eating animals to feed directly from the bale.
Features
- Designed and Optimized for maximum performance in multi player servers
- Supports both Fabric and NeoForge loaders
- Shear a Hay Bale and animals that eat wheat can feed directly from the block 8 times.
- Enforces a population cap and stops feeding once the cap is reached.
- Animals feed only if a nearby eligible mate is also ready to breed, avoiding wasted food.
- Works with any modded animal that extends the vanilla
Animalclass. Tested with Alex's Mobs. - Designed for maximum efficiency by minimizing expensive scanning.
- Supports automated input through top and sides via vanilla hoppers.
- Fully configurable, with command-line and UI options via Cloth Config and Mod Menu.
How to use:
To craft a Smart Trough you need any wooden slabs and planks, combine them in a crafting table and place the trough.
Insert eligible food into the 4-slot inventory. i.e. wheat for cows, seeds for chickens, etc.
Config Options
range: Maximum distance at which animals can be claimed by the trough. (Default:16)maxClaimedAnimals: Maximum number of animals each trough can claim. Add more troughs to increase the cap further. (Default:24)troughClaimCheckInterval: Number of ticks the trough waits before searching for more animals to claim. (Default:600)feedChance: Probability that an animal will feed when ready. This adds natural variation and can be set to1.00for a 100% chance. (Default:0.25)
Changelog
1.2.0
- Performance optimizations geared towards multi player servers
- Improved visuals and natural behavior while animals feed
- Trough visuals change to reflect current inventory levels
1.1.0
- Added Edible Hay Bale
- Fixed bug where population cap could sometimes be significantly exceeded
License: MIT
Source: https://github.com/kingnhcomcast/Smart-Breeding-Troughs
Permissions: You are welcome to use this mod in your modpack. If you do, feel free to leave a comment and let me know.
If you want support for other minecraft versions or feature requests, leave a comment!
Enjoy!
Available Versions
How to Install Smart Feeding Troughs on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set fabric Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (26.1.2).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Smart Feeding Troughs". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
26.1.2, 26.1.1, 26.1 (+2 more)
Server-side
✓ RequiredRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
Smart Feeding Troughs server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong fabric version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (26.1.2). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is Smart Feeding Troughs compatible with fabric and neoforge?
Smart Feeding Troughs officially supports fabric, neoforge for Minecraft 26.1.2, 26.1.1, 26.1. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with Smart Feeding Troughs – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Smart Feeding Troughs consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.
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Rent Modded Server
Install Smart Feeding Troughs with just one click on your server.