Breeding animals in Hytale is more than tossing food at a pen and waiting. From choosing compatible creatures to managing habitats, moods, and resources, small details decide whether you get thriving herds or frustrated mobs. Here’s how to turn wild encounters into reliable sources of mounts, materials, and loyal companions.
How to capture animals in Hytale
Craft capture crates at the Farmer’s Workbench using four wood and 50 essence of life. Equip a feed bag from the same bench to approach baby animals like piglets, chicks, or rabbits without them fleeing, then left-click with the crate to store them in your inventory. Return to your pen, position the crate, and left-click again to release the animal inside.
As mentioned earlier, you can’t breed animals in Hytale‘s current early access state, but you can capture them. One option is to build a large, fenced-off area, but leave it partly open so a wild herd (pigs, sheep, horses, etc.) can walk in. Once they’re inside, quickly complete the enclosure. Beware that this is very tricky to pull off, as the animals will run away upon spotting you.
A much better way to capture Hytale animals is to build a capture crate at the farmer’s workbench. This requires four pieces of wood and 50 essence of life. By holding the capture crate in your hand and left-clicking on a small animal, you will capture it. No lure required!
The only downside to this method is that only the smallest animals can be captured, including almost any critter and baby animal. To give you an idea, here are some animals that fit inside the capture crate:
- Calves
- Lambs
- Foal
- Rabbits (all sizes)
- Baby pigs
- Baby swine
- Mice
- Frogs
- Meerkats
- Armadillos
Now you can carry the captured animal back to your farm. Beware that wild animals will run away as soon as you release them, so build an enclosure first. You can craft a fence at the builder’s workbench by placing any type of wood in the input slot. One piece of wood should yield two fence pieces.
To release an animal from the capture crate, equip the crate and left-click your mouse again.
Beware that there’s been some confusion about Hytale‘s luring system, as the craftable feed bag (farmer’s workbench) promises the power to “lure animals.” However, after testing this on multiple animal species, the feed bag doesn’t seem to work that way.
How to tame animals in Hytale
Taming animals in Hytale requires patience and the right approach for each species. Players need to gain the creature’s trust through feeding, gentle interaction, or using specific items that appeal to them. Each animal reacts differently, so observing their behavior helps identify what they like or fear. Once tamed, animals can follow commands, assist with certain tasks, or become loyal companions around your base.
Although breeding is not an option, you can tame your Hytale animals – to some extent, at least. New animals released into the enclosure are fully wild; they’ll run away as soon as they see you. However, after spending roughly a day inside the enclosure together with a feed bag, some heart icons began to appear, indicating their tamed status.
To temper your expectations, this doesn’t mean the animals will follow you around or start breeding, but they will no longer be afraid of you. So, instead of panicking, they will simply ignore your presence.
Without the feed bag as a food source inside the enclosure, the taming didn’t work. To craft a feed bag, you must use the farmer’s workbench and spend 10 wheat, five vegetables, five fruits, and 10 essence of life. Beware that re-capturing a semi-tamed creature will restore it to its old, wild state.
In case you’re wondering, Hytale‘s chicken coop doesn’t seem to work yet. Both freshly captured and previously tamed chickens immediately run away from the coop.
How to craft capture crates and feed bags
Capture crates and feed bags are essential tools for capturing and luring animals in Hytale’s early access version. Both require a Farmer’s Workbench for crafting.
Crafting Farmer’s Workbench
Build a basic Farmer’s Workbench first using 6 any tree trunks and 3 any stone at a standard workbench. Upgrade to Level 2 (needed for capture crates) with 5 softwood trunks, 5 wheat, 5 lettuce, and 50 essence of life.
Feed Bag Recipe
Craft the Feed Bag at the basic Farmer’s Workbench with 10 wheat, 5 any vegetables (like lettuce), 5 any fruits, and 10 essence of life. Equip it to calm small animals like piglets, chicks, and rabbits, making them easier to approach.
Capture Crate Recipe
Craft the Capture Crate at a Level 2 Farmer’s Workbench using 4 any wood (or softwood trunks in some recipes) and 50 essence of life. Equip it, approach a target baby animal or small critter (like calves or squirrels), and left-click to capture-no bait needed, though feed bags help lure first.
How to use capture crates on piglets chicks rabbits
Capture crates allow players to pick up and transport small animals like piglets, chicks, and rabbits in Hytale. Equip the crate and approach the target slowly.
Step-by-Step Usage
Hold the capture crate in your hand and left-click (default attack button) on a piglet, chick, or rabbit to instantly capture it-the animal turns into a stackable inventory item. Use a feed bag first if the animal flees; it calms piglets, chicks, and rabbits, stopping their escape so you can close in without chasing. Return to your base and left-click again inside a secure fenced pen to release the animal safely.
Tips for Success
Target wild juveniles in grassy zones-piglets near forests, chicks and rabbits in open plains-as adults are too large for crates. Avoid re-capturing tamed animals, as it resets their progress to wild and skittish. Chickens may head to coops at night post-release, but keep pens at least two blocks high with no gaps to prevent escapes.
