Simple Animal pens
Managing livestock in Minecraft has always been a space-hogging chore. You build sprawling farms, chase runaway chickens, and dedicate entire chunks to a handful of cows. Simple Animal pens changes that completely. This clever datapack introduces a compact storage system that lets you pack an infinite number of mobs into a single block, freeing up your builds and your sanity. Instead of herding animals into tiny enclosures, you simply capture them in a jar, place the jar into a pen, and watch your collection grow without any lag or visual clutter.
The core idea is elegant. You get two key items: the Animal Jar and the Animal Pen. The jar is your capture device. Right-click any supported mob with the jar in hand to suck it inside, stacking multiple creatures into the same container. The pen is the world block where you place your jars. Once you have collected some animals, right-click an empty pen to deposit the jar, and the mobs are stored safely within. Need them back? Just interact with the pen again to retrieve your livestock. It is that straightforward.
Why You Need This Datapack
If you run a survival server, a technical base, or just love tidy builds, this add-on is a game-changer. Traditional animal farms require massive pens, breeding areas, and constant maintenance. With Simple Animal pens, you can create a single-block "animal bank" that holds every cow, pig, sheep, chicken, turtle, bee, or rabbit you have ever tamed. This is not just about aesthetics; it also improves server performance by reducing entity counts in loaded chunks. The pack is designed to support all vanilla features and works well alongside other datapacks and even mods in many cases.
Supported Versions and Loaders
Simple Animal pens is available for recent versions of Minecraft, with updates often appearing first on Modrinth. The datapack works on both Java Edition and with Fabric loader, though the Fabric version requires the Fabric API. For players using the Ponder library, there is built-in support to help you understand the mechanics visually. The pack also uses Smithed conventions for compatibility, ensuring that items and functions play nicely with other popular utility packs. Before you download Simple Animal pens, always check the project page for the specific Minecraft version you are running, as datapacks can be sensitive to version changes.
One of the easiest ways to get started is through the foxygame.net launcher. The launcher includes a dedicated add-on catalog where you can find Simple Animal pens for Minecraft with a single click, and it automatically handles version compatibility checks so you do not have to worry about mismatched files. This is particularly handy if you are new to installing datapacks manually, as the launcher also manages updates for you, ensuring you always have the latest features and bug fixes without scouring the web.
How to Install Simple Animal pens
Installing the datapack is a simple process. First, download the file from a trusted source like Modrinth. Then, navigate to your world folder, open the "datapacks" directory, and drop the zip file inside. For Fabric users, place the datapack in the "datapacks" folder of your world just the same, but ensure you have the Fabric API installed in your mods folder. If you are unsure how to install, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Simple Animal pens, which places the files in the correct directories and even configures the loader for you. That approach saves time and eliminates common setup errors.
Getting Your First Jar and Pen
To begin, you need to obtain the items. Use the in-game commands:
- Give jar:
loot give @p loot sap:animal_jar - Give pen:
loot give @p loot sap:animal_pen
Once you have both, place the pen on the ground. Then, hold the jar and right-click a mob to capture it. You can capture multiple mobs in one jar. After that, right-click the pen to insert the jar. To change pack settings, use the command dialog show @s sap:settings to open a configuration menu where you can tweak behaviors to your liking.
Customizing and Extending the Pack
The default list of capturable mobs includes cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, turtles, bees, and rabbits. But what if you want to add a new mob? The pack is highly moddable. You can add a mob to the entity tag #sap:fit_in_jar to make it capturable. For example, to add a fox, you would edit the tag with replace: false and add "minecraft:fox" to the values list. Next, you create a new item tag inside sap named used_on_fox to specify which items can be used on that mob. Finally, you create a function named interact_with_fox in sap:click_functions/loot/ where you can define what happens when you right-click the fox with a specific tool. The pack even supports custom breeding food by adding an item tag under the Minecraft namespace called fox_food.
For breaking the pen or killing the stored entities, you can control the required tools via the item tags sap:tool_to_break and sap:tool_to_kill. This level of control makes Simple Animal pens a fantastic base for ambitious pack creators who want to build their own mob-management systems.
Troubleshooting and Support
If you encounter bugs, the developer asks you to report them on the project's GitHub page or Discord server. The community is active, and fixes are rolled out regularly. Since the project updates first on Modrinth, that is the best place to check for new versions and additional documentation. For those who prefer a more automated experience, remember that the foxygame.net launcher keeps Simple Animal pens up to date, so you will never miss a critical patch or a newly supported mob.
In conclusion, Simple Animal pens is an essential utility for any Minecraft player who values efficiency and clean builds. It eliminates the need for massive animal farms, reduces lag, and offers deep customization for advanced users. Whether you are a casual builder or a technical player, this datapack will transform how you handle livestock. Download Simple Animal pens today and reclaim your world from the clutches of wandering chickens.