Cost and Benefit of Production Pens vs Workshops

I did a cost analysis (based of course on current costs of items in my market, but they seemed relatively "normal" at the time) to determine whether or not I wanted to put workshops on my field for selling items or even for fulfilling quests. Since some workshops require more than one animal, it made sense to see what was the actual benefit of spending time and feed producing products vs buying them. Remember that there is also production time to consider as well as space being used on your farm, so even if you can earn a small profit on a product, it would need to outweigh the cost of producing feed and taking up precious space for a higher-earning stable or workshop! So this is what I came up with. Please note that as rare stables and workshops become less rare (such as the hydrants, glue, timber, and luggage right now), their prices will drop and perhaps change the ratio of cost benefit. Keep in mind that some feeds are more expensive to make, particularly if you don't have all the crops to make it. For instance, kiwi feed is above my level to make, and buying it makes producing kiwi birds not beneficial for me. Also glowworms are more expensive than spiders. If I need kiwis or spiders, I'll have to buy them for now. Please check your current market prices to be sure! I'll try to update this list on occasion or if there's been a big game-changer for one of these animals or commodities. This list will serve as a quick reference at the very least on how many animals are required for each workshop. I did not find that information easily available.

These are not currently beneficial:

Angora 2800
requires 2 rabbit at 1000 each

Down feather 3000
requires 2 ducks at 1200 each

Flying Carpet 5400
requires 2 camel at 2500 each

Hit record 3000
requires 1 moose at 3400 each

Honey 500
requires 1 bee at 800 each

Milk 450
requires 1 cow at 1700 each

Peanut butter 4000
requires 2 elephant at 1800 each

Sail 3400
requires 2 mole at 3400 each

Shimmery powder 5300
requires 3 butterfly at 3000 each

Snorkel 5000
requires 2 platypus at 5000 each

Wool 2800
requires 2 sheep at 1700 each

These are currently beneficial:

Bikini 4200
requires 2 monkey at 1400 each

Bio-glue 15,000
requires 2 chameleon at 1300 each

Cheese 4500
requires 3 mice at 1000 each

Chopsticks 5200
requires 1 panda at 2100 each

Cooking pot 7500
requires 2 donkey at 1800 each

Guano 4000
requires 1 bat at 1600 each

Hydrant 19,000
requires 1 dog at 1800 each

Jewels 4000
requires 1 crow at 1900 each

Koi 5000
requires 1 fish at 900 each

Luggage 9000
requires 3 goose at 1500 each

Mustache 5500
requires 8 cuckoo at 470 each

Ostrich egg 6000
requires 1 ostrich at 1000 each

Paint palette 4500
requires 2 turkey at 900 each

Raccoon mask 5000
requires 2 raccoon at 1300 each

Riding lessons 4000
requires 2 horse at 1000 each

Timber 18,000
requires 1 beaver at 1000 each

Truffles 3000
requires 1 pig at 900 each

 

Thank you sdhoneybear for putting this list together. As a new player this is very helpful.

 

Thank you, Shiny! I was just about to post an addendum, and that being that if your workshop produces 2 products (such as a pink one or sometimes a red one), that would probably make using it in your favor. If I've missed anything else to consider, any additions/suggestions are welcome! I do not have a blanket shed so I'm not sure how many squirrels that takes if anyone wants to add that.

 

The Textile Mill (produces Picnic blankets) requires 1 Squirrel and 1 feed. Takes 38 hours (without water/PF) and gives 1 Blanket and 215 EP.

 

Great analysis - the only thing I can see that you missed is the additional cost of the feed.

 

Thanks for the info, BlackCaviar! With squirrels currently at 4500 in my market and blankets at 7200, I'd say blankets are worthwhile!

Thank you, TCRooster! I'd considered trying to pull feed prices in, but to keep it simple, I just assumed people can produce the feed pretty cheaply (most are very early/cheap crops). But for the time and slight expense and farm space, I put an arbitrary limit at needing to break 1000 cc profit for making products cost-efficient. For those that want to really pull in a full-fledged comparison, you'd need to consider the feed for the animals needed as well as for the product (9 in the case of cuckoos! 8 cuckoos + 1 cuckoo feed for the product. A big thing saving me on cuckoos is that I have a ton from earlier breeding events.). Perhaps a separate discussion could be produced for feed costs. That'd be a big undertaking, but it would be nice! Then there's EP/BEP consideration and colored stables . . . all good things to consider. I'll just leave this as a quick/easy ref for now, stating upfront that it's certainly not all-inclusive in consideration.

 

Just be aware that the market prices vary in each market and with time. Also, the cost/benefit depends on what other options you have. If you have a lot of rare pens, they can (depends on which ones) do better than workshops.

Also, for the very newbies... you have to have some workshops to fill a few timed quests early on. Just do enough to finish the quest, then keep them in inventory. (eggs are notoriously bad, because we have egg trees that don't require anything to produce eggs).

 

I agree with Woody, it's good to explain the process you went through but the prices in your market are very, very low compared to mine so the results on some items will change drastically.
As example:
Wool 2800
requires 2 sheep at 1700 each (sheep will be back down to 800.00 after the breeding event.)
Angora 2800
requires 2 rabbit at 1000 each (in my market the wools very seldom drop below 5000.00)
Down feather 3000
requires 2 such at 1200 each (average price for me is between 4500-5000)


I still say Bravo on being aware of when to buy/sell vs when to produce

 

I agree with dixie

Great effort honeybearWhile prices of products do fluctuate between markets and depending on other factors (neon breeding event coming up) making it potentially different results for each market, you have raised an awareness of the relationship between inputs (crops for feed, feed for animals) and finished products. It appears that everyone who is reading your post is running to their market to check out prices. Good market lesson

 

That's a great thread, sdhoneybear! It makes us look at the farm/market from a different perspective, especially for those market-challenged like me...
Well done!

That's very true, woody. And the same thing applies to goat milk, cow milk and honey (not to mention parrot-feathers).
However, may I remind that for a newbie (and even not so newbie) those product trees are long gone from the mystery trees event.
They have to make some of the these product pens in the workshop, if they want to start their production right away.
There's always Gift & Trade to many of the newbies, but I know that some of them aren't still aware of the benefits of this event.

 

Yes, that is why I said you need enough to do the basic quests, and for events that might need them as well. However, beyond that, the only reason to have them is if you are a "raise it all yourself" farmer. The products are almost always a lot cheaper than the animals.you need.

 

Thanks for the great input, all! I am amazed how much difference there is in the market at the same time. I don't think I've ever seen wool at 5000 in my market for instance. And I noticed a spellcheck-induced typo for the feathers entry (such for ducks lol), but I think you all figured it out.

And yes, the overall point is check your current market prices, but keep in mind how many animals you're going to need and their cost to produce--which also includes time, feed, and farm space! Seems crazy that some products require so many animals!

 

This is a Great and Interesting Thread shhoneybear as I am one of those strategist farmers, As I have known that some Production Workshops are worth doing and some are not worth doing.

Since we have Production Trees that does not require Animal Feeds and Animals Such as;

• Egg Trees
• Cow MilK Trees
• Goat Milk Trees
• Honey Trees
• Parrot Feathers

These have made Certain Workshops Useless even If we have Pink Workshops too is Considered Useless, As we can Use a Suzy Super Grow on these Egg,Cow,Goat and Honey Trees which gives a Total of 4 Products per Tree. A Normal Product Tree gives us 2 Products !!

As we have Four Workshops that are useless, that we can still get from Wonder Stables or Craft from Workshop, We can also Craft Spooky Workshops too such as Spooky Egg Farm, Spooky Cow Dairy, Spooky Goat Dairy and Spooky Apiary so here is list of Useless Workshops

List of Useless Workshops

• Egg Farm
• Spooky Egg Farm
• Cow Dairy Farm
• Spooky Cow Dairy
• Goat Dairy Farm
• Spooky Goat Dairy
• Apiary
• Spooky Apiary
• Parrot Feathers

The Current Trends of Market Prices of Animal Feeds and Animal Market Prices has gone up Considerable over the years due to supply and demand Requirements We are Consuming More than we are producing !!! One of Reason for this certain things are not worth Producing but certain things are worth Producing still.

Animal Feeds is slow going up in price hence the cost of Producing a Workshop Product. All Workshop Requires 1 Animal Feed at Least plus the cost of Animals.

For Example Mustache Production Pen is not Considered Worth Doing, As Cuckoo Feed is worth Almost 3X the cost of Cuckoos in the Markets Currently add this to cost of 8 Cuckoos to Produce 1 Mustache

Currently The Price of Sheep/Sheep Feed,Ducks/Ducks Feed have gone up in Market Prices on Speculation of Impeding Neon Events requiring Sheep and Ducks But also Cows but Cow Dairies are worthless anyway.

But Many Production Pens do Range from 24 Hours to 48 Hours to Produce. But with Exception of Luggage Production Pens only Takes 8 Hours to Grow using Cloud Rows and Buffs we can Produce Luggage for much less that 8 Hours Huge Difference compared to other Production Pens. As These are Currently on Production Pens i am using at the Moment as I have 20 of them so far. But they do need 3 Goose + 1 Goose Feed. But we can Grow Goose Quickly using Goose Pen just under 4 Hours. Except Chickens all other Animals takes longer to Produce to make it worth it while

The Price of Products,Animal Feeds and Animals in the Market is forever changing as we have to constantly reviewing and Evaluating which production pens are worth doing or Not !!!

 

Great analysis Mooboy, thanks.

 

I think shimmery powder would be included on the beneficial production pen list. On this market they are currently going for beginning price of 4119.46, butterflies start at 5060, and you need 3 butterflies (not to mention butterfly food) for one shimmery powder. Much cheaper to buy.

edit: Pay no attention to this bear, totally missed that honeybear already mentioned the perfumery

 

Very true, Woody!

 

Thanks sdhoneybear & Mooboy. Just what I needed, so I might do a re-working of what production pens I might place out. And also what products I need to buy to stack up.

dixiefarms - Thanks to you too.

Still have to go through other posts....

sdhoneybear - Can you please update the list now and then when the prices change, if possible. I know its asking too much. But if possible do so, please.

 

Just a suggestion for those cuckoos I had tens of thousands of them from when they were dropping out of every pen like crazy haha. I have no interest in them or their quests, so I donated them to the Farming contest quest to level up my drop item trophies in the tree of wisdom...think they leveled me up twice This is really great information honeybear, and something I hadn't really considered...Thanks!