Exactly how rare are animals?

[Plasmafrog 3]

I've placed about eight hours into this game already and have only seen a single chicken in the most unlikely spot: in front of a warehouse in the middle of a city.

The wiki claims that animals spawn in fields and near farms, yet I haven't even seen a single animal. Canned food is a terrible resource for blood and transfusions never happen because everyone would rather shoot you, so the most logical thing for me would be to go hunting! Oh boy, how wrong was I.

I searched forest, fields, even farms and not one damn animal. Surviving is hard because your blood is nearly impossible to maintain without a fellow mate. If you have a group, surviving is easy. Solo? Not so much.

Can someone else confirm that our barnyard friends are nearly figments of our imagination?

[Food 309]

I find them all over? Every time I log in there is one in my groups camp

[Plasmafrog 3]

I find them all over? Every time I log in there is one in my groups camp

Lies! I've scoured every single plot of land to the west and have found nothing but zombies and lootless towns.

[OrLoK 16187]

Hello there,

For me it seemed to vary from server to server (not been able to connect for weeks).

Sometimes they were plentiful and sometimes less so. I usually check in open fields away from roads and airstrips etc.

I also have encountered a lone chicken in towns.

There is an ability to blacklist areas for animal spawn in arma so perhaps you've had the mix of looking in wrong areas and low spawns.

rgds

LoK

[gizm0 96]

try the east side, as well as farm areas and fields.

[BoomBoom (DayZ) 4]

Animals are mostly seen north when I played.

[NoRegrets 495]

Sometimes they are everywhere .... sometimes they are hard to find ... i dont know ... maybe their spawn chance is set to the general setting of the server ... maybe they are easier to find on a server set to Recruit instead of Veteran ... i dont know ...

[Hetstaine 10852]

I cannot go into a forest without seeing a couple of Boars. Running between Cherno and Elektro you should see at least 1 goat if not more..as well as a few rabbits..b wary of the rabbits. Once i have matches i do not worry about picking up tinned food because you can always find an animal to slay in the fields, On the way up North i can get more steaks than i will ever eat.

You are clearly just having an unlucky run :)

[trashcanman 15]

Can someone else confirm that our barnyard friends are nearly figments of our imagination?

I find enough that once I get matches + knife I never bother saving canned food.

However I find they're not homogenously spawned. There's areas where it seems like you're tripping over them and places where it seems they can't be found.

Cows and sheep tend to be around something. Boars and rabbits tend to be around nothing.

Edited July 13, 2012 by trashcanman

[Shroud8 3]

The place I've found with the most animals is just north of Paloba Dam, around the hills you find plenty of cows, goats and sheep... A lot of player tents around here too. I use a tractor as my "tent" now and move it to a new spot every few days. It's currently loaded with 25 cooked steaks, so animals are pretty common.

[jovial 17]

When you need them, they are nowhere to be seen. The rest of the time they are quite plentiful.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

The airfield in the NE always seems to have a cow wandering around the runway.

[Copgun 2]

I used to wander all over to find animals, but once I got my L85A2 I could see in the thermal scope they're actually all over the damn place

[Chicago Zed 2]

The NE Airfield always has like 4 cows just chilling on the tarmac. :rolleyes:

[Ballistixz 12]

there only rare when u NEED them. there common and u see them all over the place when u dont. funny how that shit works.