Raising livestock can be very lucrative in Farming Simulator 25, making it a fantastic alternative to growing crops. Each animal produces specific goods that can be sold for profit, and building a thriving livestock operation can be a fulfilling way to achieve your financial goals.
This guide will focus on water buffalos and how you can generate a considerable income from them. Whether you’re interested in their milk or want to set up a mozzarella production line, these gentle giants are excellent additions to your farm.
Requirements for Keeping Water Buffalos
Starting a water buffalo farm involves several essential considerations. Don’t worry, though; we’ll break it down into key points to simplify the process:
- You’ll need a proper structure to house and breed the water buffalos.
- Ensure a constant supply of water and food is available.
- Monitor their health closely to maximize production.
- Harvest buffalo milk to sell for profit.
- Familiarize yourself with the in-game economy to sell buffalo milk at optimal prices.
Keep these factors in mind as you create a revenue-generating system with water buffalos.
How to Build a Shelter for Water Buffalos
At first, it might seem necessary to construct an animal pen on water. However, water buffalos can share pastures with cows, which means you’ll need to set up a pen designated for cows.
If you’re starting a new game and don’t have access to a cow pasture, you’ll have to build one. To do this, access build mode by pressing Shift+P.
In build mode, look for the cow icon on the left side. Click it to open the Animal Pasture menu. The cow pasture tab will present various options:
| Items | Price | Holding Capacity |
| Cow Pasture | $15,000 | 7 |
| Cow Barn | $85,000 | 35 |
| Cow Barn (Large) | $170,000 | 99 |
| Hormann Cow Barn | $254,000 | 50 |
| Hormann Cow Barn (Large) | $518,500 | 96 |
| Hormann Cow Barn With Feeding Robot | $722,500 | 93 |
Cow pastures and certain barns can accommodate more animals if the surrounding meadow area is expanded. Keeping grass in the meadow also provides passive food for the water buffalos. To populate your pasture, head to the green animal paw icon and interact with it by pressing R or the left stick. A new screen will appear that allows you to purchase water buffalos.
Cow barns are automatically connected to a water source, which minimizes your workload.
What Do Water Buffalos Eat?
Water buffalos are not picky eaters, but the effectiveness of their food can vary. Here’s what you can feed them:
- Only Hay: 80% Effective.
- Only Silage: 80% Effective.
- Only Grass: 40% Effective.
- Only Meadow Grass: 40% Effective.
- Mixed Ration: 100% Effective.
The health of your water buffalos directly relates to food effectiveness, so providing them with a mixed ration is ideal. For example, a combination of hay and grass yields 100% effectiveness. You can also maintain meadow grass while incorporating silage or hay to boost effectiveness.
All these feed options can be cultivated in the game or purchased, although buying them can be costly.
Buying from shops can be quite expensive, so only use this as a last resort to avoid unnecessary expenses.
Getting Water for Your Pastures
If you’re using a cow pasture, you’ll have to manually provide water. To do this, purchase a water barrel from the Vehicle Shop under the animal category.
Attach the barrel to a tractor, drive it to a water source (like a river), and position it near the water so that it barely touches the water. You’ll then have the option to refill it by pressing R or using the left stick. Once the barrel is full, bring it back to your cow pasture and place it near the water drop icon to refill the pasture.
Collecting Waste Products from Water Buffalos
Water buffalos are also beneficial for their waste products, such as manure and slurry, which can be used to fertilize your fields and boost crop yields.
Feeding water buffalos straw will generate manure, whereas feeding them anything else will yield slurry. Use manure spreaders and slurry tankers to disperse these over your fields, which can be found in the Vehicle Shops under Yield Improvements category.
You can also sell slurry for additional income. To transport it, you’ll need to purchase a slurry transport vehicle from the Yield Improvements category.
To extract slurry, place a tanker under the cow dung icon to access the refill option.
As for manure, you’ll need to build a storage extension. Open the build menu, select the barn icon, and navigate to the third tab to find Silo Extensions. Scroll to locate Manure Heap Extensions and place one near your barn for storage.
Avoid purchasing a Manure Heap, as it only offers manual storage. Instead, opt for the Manure Heap Extension for automatic storage from your barns.
You can manage manure by placing a manure spreader or a trailer at the drop-off icon next to the Manure Heap Extension.
Producing and Selling Buffalo Milk
Water buffalos begin producing milk after they reach maturity and have offspring, typically starting at around 18 months. If you’re not in a hurry, consider getting young buffalos at a lower price and growing them over time for better returns.
To sell buffalo milk, you’ll need a tanker for transport, available in the Vehicle Shop under Barrels category. Drive the tanker to your barn and place it on the milk canister logo. This will allow you to fill the tanker for transport.
Buffalo milk is sold based on a rate of per 1,000 liters. It generally fetches good prices year-round, often reaching $11,340 per 1,000 liters in peak seasons. You can also transport milk to Production Chains to create products like buffalo mozzarella, bottled buffalo milk, and more.
Tips for Conducting Business with Water Buffalos
The main product from water buffalos is milk. Buffalo milk is priced highest in January and September. Conversely, it tends to be lowest from May to August and October to December, often selling for around $10,395, which is the average price.
Processing buffalo milk can significantly enhance your profits. If you’re willing to wait, consider creating by-products. Selling these buffalo-derived products is generally more profitable than selling those derived from cows.
In addition to the milk, water buffalos can provide fertilizer through their waste, which can also be sold for profit.
Buffalos reproduce every four to five months, although this can fluctuate. Mature buffalos over 24 months old can be sold at high prices, especially if you start your operation with baby buffalos. They not only have a charming appearance but also offer substantial financial benefits.
