Hunger Meter for Caged Birds

[KrusaydorUK]

I'm making way too many posts now that I've joined today, but its rather enjoyable and hopefully suggestions people love and would like adding, ahem, anyway read below.

 

A slight problem I currently face in Don't Starve is the Starvation of Captured Animals, particularly Birds, although this also applies to Rabbits and Moleworms somewhat. (Although they can't be kept, they still "rot" in your pockets. Although releasing them into a Pen with no Food Source won't kill them.)

 

I appreciate the change as it makes the game more "correct" and challenging, (as if a Bird could just sit there and never die hey?), however, I have no idea how long the bird can survive without food, so when I take a long trip out exploring or gathering materials, I return with a random feather next my cage and the impression that something is missing. My request is a Hunger Meter for Bird Cages when hovered over with by the mouse. This will allow me to get an understanding of when I need to feed the bird to keep it alive, and how much time I can spend away from camp if I want it to still be there when I return.

 

Anyhow, thanks for reading,

Kruze.

[Strangerdanger101]

You can harvest the bird cage to see how much hunger is left then put it back in, and unless you're gone for like 2 days in a row your bird won't starve without you being there. It seems to take around 2 whole days for it to starve. (Maybe 1 and a half, not sure)

[Plague Mouse]

You can harvest the bird cage to see how much hunger is left then put it back in, and unless you're gone for like 2 days in a row your bird won't starve without you being there. It seems to take around 2 whole days for it to starve. (Maybe 1 and a half, not sure)

 

Two days away from base is all it takes?

Welp, I ain't never having a bird.

[Strangerdanger101]

Two days away from base is all it takes?

Welp, I ain't never having a bird.

feeding them 1 thing puts them back to full hunger, and because they spawn more seeds when you feed them seeds, you can feed them endlessly from seeds.

 

I'm not much of a explorer so this isnt that bad for me though.

[porps]

You can harvest the bird cage to see how much hunger is left then put it back in, and unless you're gone for like 2 days in a row your bird won't starve without you being there. It seems to take around 2 whole days for it to starve. (Maybe 1 and a half, not sure)

 

2 days is nowhere near long enough imo. It's like they want you to never leave your base once you're setup, except that every thing else i've read from klei seems to say the exact opposite.

[Strangerdanger101]

2 days is nowhere near long enough imo. It's like they want you to never leave your base once you're setup, except that every thing else i've read from klei seems to say the exact opposite.

You can try to wing it (pun not intended) and feed them something like every day and a half then go back to exploring, though i can see this getting annoying.

[Norman1346]

I made this suggestion myself once.

[Zalyn]

Yeah, I think the starvation time is still off between in the cage and in your pocket - the bird in the pocket seems to take two days to get to "hungry", and a bit beyond that to "starving" (haven't documented it, just my feeling).  But two days away and the bird is dead. 

 

So I guess a bird in the hand is worth two in the cage...

[KrusaydorUK]

New Suggestion/Idea

 

Why not make an Item similar to the Ice Flingomatic?

 

Made from Gears, Elec Doodads, Seeds and Papyrus. You fill it with seeds and every morning of a new day it hurls seeds right at the cage for the Bird to eat, if they are multiple it does the same but to several Birds, and as you all mentioned to what I already know, it makes seeds renewable, so when you do return after so many days away. You can return to your alive and well birds, (considering you weren't gone to long and the seeds ran out,) and gather the droppings around the cage to refill the machine. This will keep the birds going, and you can still feed them Monster Meat in return for Eggs whenever you please. I name this Contraption, The Aero Feeder.

[brummbar7]

...Made from Gears, Elec Doodads, Seeds and Papyrus. You fill it with seeds and every morning of a new day it hurls seeds right at the cage for the Bird to eat...

They don't need a new contraption they just need to add a 'seed tube' on the side of the birdcage, which the player can 'refuel' just like they can refuel the flingomatic.  The bird survives off that meter.  No need for a whole new structure that's so specialized.

[KrusaydorUK]

They don't need a new contraption they just need to add a 'seed tube' on the side of the birdcage, which the player can 'refuel' just like they can refuel the flingomatic.  The bird survives off that meter.  No need for a whole new structure that's so specialized.

 

Regardless of its concept, its something that should be done and I hope will be.

[Skorp]

You could also capture a new bird if you are going away, is not like the bird trap has many other uses.

[KrusaydorUK]

You could also capture a new bird if you are going away, is not like the bird trap has many other uses.

 

This is also true, but you shouldn't need to really, and if your trap runs out and you're struggling to find more silk, you have a new problem on your hands.

[Skorp]

This is also true, but you shouldn't need to really, and if your trap runs out and you're struggling to find more silk, you have a new problem on your hands.

A problem with an easy solution, since I don't use birdcages I can't say much of this matter but I like the idea of a hunger meter or seed pile for people who use it. The trade-off could be that the bird will not return the seeds.

[KrusaydorUK]

A problem with an easy solution, since I don't use birdcages I can't say much of this matter but I like the idea of a hunger meter or seed pile for people who use it. The trade-off could be that the bird will not return the seeds.

 

Bird Cages just make Monster Meat edible by converting it into Eggs, or converting Spoilt Food into Eggs, so they are obviously useful. The seeds trade-off though is a fantastic solution. Whilst you are out travelling you will find more seeds anyway, and you can still replenish them by manually feeding the bird.

 

I think that is the problem solved completely, Bird Cages are built for the same amount of materials with a fillable dispenser attached, the Dispenser can hold up to 40 seeds as a stack. Birds will eat the Seeds once every morning and once every dawn, and sleep at night, that effectively means you can leave your camp for 20 days without your bird dying, plus the additional two day starve period that people have mentioned/estimated. To compensate, seeds eaten from the Dispenser will not be reproduced as Droppings of Seeds to pick up, resulting in you having to collect more seeds when you're out, or spending time multiplying your remaining seeds by manually feeding the bird.

[Shin]

They don't need a new contraption they just need to add a 'seed tube' on the side of the birdcage, which the player can 'refuel' just like they can refuel the flingomatic.  The bird survives off that meter.  No need for a whole new structure that's so specialized.

Yes, please! This is such a good idea!

[KrusaydorUK]

I did the bird check like someone suggested, my birds hardly last a single day cycle, its just silly.

[Sideview]

Just bring your bird with you when you explore, and put it back into the cage when you need to convert some food into eggs/special seeds. That's how I do.

[KrusaydorUK]

It will still die from starvation in your inventory...

[Sideview]

It will still die from starvation in your inventory...

 

Feed it...

[Lumina]

It is so tedious (not sure of the term. Boring ? Annoying) to have to catch a new bird each time you travel or have to bring it with you and bring some seeds. I have no enough place in my inventory in normal time so take a bird...

 

So some seeds for feed the bird in bird cage is not so excessive. Or, at least, a better birdcage with this option.
 

[WillPwn4Food]

I don't see why we can't have something like this in the birdcage so we can fill it up to five days worth of seed or something

 

 

Off topic: it's good to see you again @Lumina. It seems like it's been a while

[Lumina]

Oh, thanks. I was a little here, but only reading. Sometimes i haven't very much to tell.

[spencer320]

This is something that should definitely be implemented. I like having bird cages at my base for turning spoiled/rotting food into eggs. But I also like to be at my base for a day or two of prep, then head out to explore and generally, get into trouble. Coming back from a 5 or 6 day trek, I'd like my birds to be there, safe and fat.

 

If the devs don't implement, maybe our awesome community of mod makers can solve this!

[KrusaydorUK]

Feed it...

 

If you can do that similar to how to refuel the lantern, fair enough, I'll have to try it out next time I bother to capture a bird.