Breeding

To initiate the breeding process, most animals require a specific food item that is used to lead and breed them. While there are a few exceptions, this food item serves as a catalyst for breeding. When a player holds the appropriate food item, an animal becomes aware of it and starts following the player until certain conditions are met.

Once an animal notices the player holding its food, it will follow the player either until they are out of range, the player stops holding the item, the breeding process begins, or the animal is attacked. This behavior also applies to baby animals. It's worth noting that most animals are not interested in food left on the ground, and even if they are, they will not breed by consuming it. Animals only breed when they are fed directly by a player. Additionally, each parent animal requires one food item to breed and produce a single baby.

When an animal is fed its specific food item, it enters what is called "love mode," indicating that it is ready to breed with another animal of the same species that is also in love mode. Animals in love mode emit heart particles continuously, making it clear that they are ready for the breeding process.

Once both animals are fed and in love mode, they start pathfinding toward each other, moving up to eight blocks away to meet. After reaching each other, the two animals touch for approximately two and a half seconds. At the end of this interaction, they drop 1-7 items and exit love mode, resulting in the birth of their offspring. The specific method of offspring production varies depending on the animal species.

In most cases, the parents immediately spawn a baby animal at their feet. The newborn usually belongs to the same species as its parents. However, it's important to note that mules are an exception to this rule, as they cannot breed with each other. Instead, mules can only be bred through the union of a horse and a donkey.

Some animals, such as chickens, have a unique breeding mechanism. Chickens have the ability to both directly produce babies and lay eggs. Unlike other animals, chickens can lay eggs without being fed. The method and location in which animals perform their egg-laying behavior vary from species to species.

After breeding, the parent animals cannot be fed again for another five minutes to initiate another breeding session. However, both the parent animals and their babies will always follow players who are holding breeding items. If an animal does not breed within 30 seconds of being fed, it exits love mode. However, it can immediately be fed again and re-enter love mode.

In Minecraft, breeding is facilitated by specific food items that are used to lead and initiate the breeding process for different mobs. These food items vary depending on the mob species and play a crucial role in expanding populations and creating offspring within the game. Here is a detailed breakdown of the breeding foods for various mobs:

Horse (Tamed) and Donkey (Tamed)

• Golden Apple

• Enchanted Golden Apple

• Golden Carrot

• These mobs need to be tamed by repeatedly mounting them before they can breed. However, they can be tamed faster by being fed these specific food items.

• Breeding a horse with a donkey results in the birth of a mule. However, mules themselves cannot breed.

Horse (Untamed), Donkey (Untamed), and Mule (Untamed)

• Sugar

• Wheat

• Apple

• Hay Bale

These items cannot be used for leading or breeding these untamed mobs. However, they can be fed to them for growth, healing, or to assist in breeding.

Cow, Goat, Mooshroom, and Sheep

• Wheat

Sheep can also grow faster if they eat grass or grass blocks. However, they cannot be hand-fed these items and will only consume them if they are placed in the world.

Pig

• Carrot

• Potato

• Beetroot

Pigs can be led using a carrot on a stick, but they cannot be bred with any specific food item.

Chicken

• Wheat Seeds

• Pumpkin Seeds

• Melon Seeds

• Beetroot Seeds

• Torchflower Seeds (upcoming in JE 1.20 & BE 1.20.0)

• Pitcher Pod (upcoming in JE 1.20 & BE 1.20.0)

Chickens directly produce a chick when bred. They also automatically produce eggs without needing to be fed.

Wolf (Tamed)

• Raw Beef

• Raw Chicken

• Raw Porkchop

• Raw Mutton

• Raw Rabbit

• Rotten Flesh

• Steak

• Cooked Chicken

• Cooked Porkchop

• Cooked Rabbit

• Cooked Mutton

These mobs must be tamed using bones before they can be fed anything else. Eating bones does not trigger love mode for wolves.

Cat (Tamed) and Ocelot

• Raw Cod

• Raw Salmon

Cats need to be tamed by being given enough food before they can breed. Feeding tamed cats restores their health and triggers love mode.

Axolotl

• Bucket of Tropical Fish (only bucketed tropical fish can be used to breed axolotls)

• Tropical fish items cannot be used. Feeding axolotls with bucketed tropical fish returns a water bucket.

Llama and Trader Llama

• Hay Bale

Llamas must be tamed by repeatedly mounting them before they can breed. Feeding them with hay bales assists in taming, growth, and healing, but cannot be used for leading or breeding.

Rabbit

• Dandelion

• Carrot

• Golden Carrot

Rabbits always run from players unless they hold a breeding item. They can be fed or grown from a baby by a player.

Turtle

• Seagrass

Turtles lay eggs on the sand when bred. The eggs take a few days to hatch into baby turtles. They lay eggs only at the place they spawned or were hatched. Turtle eggs can be obtained only with Silk Touch and hatch faster at night.

Panda

• Bamboo

Pandas can eat bamboo and other food items without player input, but they only breed when fed by a player. A minimum of eight bamboo plants must be placed within a five-block radius of the pandas for breeding to occur.

Fox

• Sweet Berries

• Glow Berries

Foxes can eat berries and other food items without player input, but breeding only happens when they are fed by a player. The baby fox trusts the player who bred it and does not run away when approached.

Bee

• Flowers (all types work)

Feeding bees wither roses does not give them the Wither effect or anger them.

Strider

• Warped Fungus

Striders can also be led with a warped fungus on a stick but cannot be bred using any specific food item.

Hoglin

• Crimson Fungus

Hoglins continue to attack during the breeding process. Hoglins that are fleeing from warped fungi, nether portals, or respawn anchors cannot be bred. Zoglins, a transformed variant of hoglins, cannot breed.

Frog

• Slimeball

Frogs lay eggs on water that take ten minutes to hatch into tadpoles. These eggs cannot be obtained in item form or moved.

Camel (upcoming in JE 1.20 & BE 1.20.0)

• Cactus

Despite being fed cacti to breed, camels still take damage from touching cacti when placed in the world.

Sniffer (upcoming in JE 1.20 & BE 1.20.0)

• Torchflower Seeds

Sniffers lay eggs when bred that take twenty minutes (or ten if the egg is placed on a moss block) to hatch into a snifflet. The eggs must be placed by a player, and they cannot be obtained in item form.

Villagers

The breeding of villagers is not an automatic process triggered by food. It depends on two factors: the availability of valid beds in the vicinity (for more details, refer to the village page), and the willingness of the villagers. Villagers become willing if they possess either 3 bread, 12 carrots, 12 potatoes, or 12 beetroots in their inventory. They can also become willing through trading with players. When villagers breed, they give birth to smaller versions of themselves. Unlike baby animals in Java Edition, baby villagers do not have oversized heads. It's important to note that zombie villagers and wandering traders are unable to breed, and baby zombie villagers do not mature into adults.

Baby mobs are miniature versions of their adult counterparts. They have smaller bodies, relatively larger heads (with some exceptions), and move faster. The sounds they produce are the same as those of adult mobs, but they are 50% faster and pitched up by 6 semitones. However, tadpoles are a unique mob separate from frogs. Baby mobs often exhibit different interactions and behaviors compared to adult mobs, depending on the specific type. For instance, lambs cannot be sheared for wool; calves, mooshroom calves, and baby goats cannot be milked; and baby piglins accept gold but do not engage in bartering. Most baby mobs do not drop loot or experience points when killed, unless they have picked up items. The baby mobs that do drop loot or experience points include:

• Baby zombies, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, zombified piglins, and zoglins (drop both loot and experience)

• Baby hoglins (drop only experience)

• Baby piglins (drop only experience, but less than adults)

In most cases, baby animals within 8 blocks of the same species will choose and follow an adult, regardless of whether it is their parent. Babies can choose new targets to follow when their previous target dies or moves more than 16 blocks away. Tamed puppies and kittens follow their owner if their parent is absent or sitting. However, certain baby mobs do not follow adults, including tadpoles (which don't follow frogs), snifflets (upcoming in JE 1.20 & BE 1.20.0), baby rabbits (Java Edition only), baby turtles (Java Edition only), ocelot kittens (Java Edition only), stray kittens (Java Edition only), and wild wolf pups (Java Edition only). Baby mobs that are not animals never follow adult mobs.

When a baby of a species with different fur or pattern variants is born, it usually inherits the pattern of one of its parents randomly, with a few exceptions:

Sheep

If the parents have "compatible" colors (meaning their corresponding dye items can be combined into a third dye), the lamb inherits a mix of the parents' colors (Java Edition only).

Mooshrooms

Breeding two mooshrooms of the same variant has a 1 in 1024 chance of spawning a mooshroom of the opposite variant. Breeding two mooshrooms of different variants has an equal chance of producing a baby mooshroom of either type.

Horses

There is a 13 in 45 chance that a horse baby will have a random color/markings instead of matching either parent.

Axolotls

A baby axolotl bred by a player (not found in the world) has a 1 in 1200 chance of being the rare blue variant. Otherwise, it randomly inherits the color of one of its parents.

Frogs

Frogs do not inherit their variants from their parents. Their variant is determined by the biome in which they mature from tadpoles.

Baby animals can be spawned manually by using spawn eggs on adult animals. This also applies to zombies or other variants. Baby animals can also be summoned using the /summon command with a negative Age tag.

For example, using the command /summon sheep ~ ~ ~ {Age:-100} will spawn a baby sheep at the player's location, which will mature in 100 ticks (equivalent to 5 seconds). For baby mobs that do not mature into adults, such as zombies and piglins, the IsBaby:1 tag is used instead.

Most baby mobs take 20 minutes to grow into adults. This process can be expedited by feeding them their specific breeding item. When fed, green sparkles appear, similar to the effect of bone meal. Typically, each feeding reduces the remaining time before the animal grows up by 10%. However, the closer the animal is to maturing, the less time is saved by each feeding. Continuously feeding an animal until it becomes an adult becomes inefficient as the time saved becomes negligible after the eighth feeding, as shown in the accompanying graph.

Horses, donkeys, and llamas have different mechanics for growth. Different breeding items cause babies to grow by varying amounts, and each item ages babies by a specific, constant time rather than a percentage of the remaining time.

Baby zombies, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, zombified piglins, piglins, and zoglins do not mature into adults, and none of these mobs can breed.

Polar bears have a baby form that can grow into adults but cannot be bred. This also applies to squid, glow squid, and dolphins in Bedrock Edition.

Baby animals are smaller versions of their adult counterparts and exhibit similar characteristics, such as smaller bodies and relatively larger heads. They also have faster walking speeds compared to adults. The baby animals interact and behave differently from adults, depending on their specific type.

Here is a list of baby animals:

• Cow-calf

• Chick

• Piglet

• Kid

• Lamb

• Mooshroom calf

• Rabbit kit

• Wolf pup

• Ocelot kitten

• Domestic kitten

• Horse foal

• Donkey foal

• Mule foal

• Cria

• Trader Cria

• Fox kit

• Axolotl juvenile

• Baby bee

• Panda cub

• Turtle hatchling

• Baby hoglin

• Baby strider

• Polar bear cub

• Tadpole

• Dolphin calf (Bedrock Edition only)

• Baby glow squid (Bedrock Edition only)

• Baby squid (Bedrock Edition only)

• Camel calf (upcoming in JE 1.20)

• Snifflet (upcoming in JE 1.20)

Additionally, there are baby versions of hostile mobs, known as monsters, which count towards the "Monster Hunter" and "Monsters Hunted" advancements or are classified as undead:

• Baby zombie

• Baby drowned

• Baby husk

• Baby zombified piglin

• Baby piglin

• Baby zombie villager

• Baby hoglin

• Baby zoglin

• Skeleton horse foal (unused)

• Zombie horse foal (unused)

Lastly, there are baby versions of villagers themselves. In Java Edition, they are referred to as "Baby villagers," while in Bedrock Edition, they are known as "Villager children." These baby villagers resemble miniature versions of adult villagers and have their own unique behaviors and interactions.

When an allay, which is a type of mob in Minecraft, is given an amethyst shard while it is dancing to the sound of a nearby jukebox playing any music disc, it has the ability to duplicate itself. This process consumes the amethyst shard. After the duplication, both the original allay and the newly created allay have a cooldown period of five minutes before they can duplicate again. It's important to note that allays do not have a baby form.

Shulkers, another type of mob in Minecraft, also have a chance to duplicate themselves under certain conditions. When a shulker is hit with a shulker bullet, there is a possibility that a new shulker of the same color will spawn.

The following conditions must be met for shulker duplication to occur:

• The hit shulker must have less than half of its health remaining after being hit. If this condition is met, there is a 25% chance for the shulker to teleport without spawning a new shulker instead of proceeding with the duplication process.

• The hit shulker's lid must be open.

• The hit shulker must find a suitable location to teleport to. It selects a random block within a 17x17x17 cuboid centered on the shulker and checks if the block has a valid face for teleportation. If no valid face is found, the process is repeated up to four more times. If no suitable location is found, the attempt fails.

• The presence of other shulkers within an 8-block radius of the hit shulker decreases the chances of successful duplication by 20% for each shulker. If there are five or more shulkers nearby, no shulkers can spawn, but the hit shulker still teleports.

• If the duplication attempt is successful, a new shulker will spawn in the same location where the original shulker was before it teleported. It's important to note that shulkers do not have a baby form, and apart from the mentioned criteria, there is no cooldown period for duplication.

Advancement: The Parrots and the Bats

Description: Breed two animals together

Parent Advancement: Husbandry

Requirements: To achieve this advancement, you need to breed a pair of any of the following 23 (25 in the upcoming JE 1.20 update) mobs: Axolotl, Bee, Camel (upcoming in JE 1.20), Cat, Chicken, Cow, Donkey, Fox, Frog, Goat, Hoglin, Horse, Llama, Mooshroom, Mule, Ocelot, Panda, Pig, Rabbit, Sheep, Sniffer (upcoming in JE 1.20), Strider, Trader Llama, Turtle, and Wolf. It's important to note that breeding a horse and a donkey to obtain a mule is necessary for this advancement, as they cannot be bred together. Other breedable mobs, if any, can be bred, but they are not counted for this specific advancement.

Advancement: Two by Two

Description: Breed all the animals!

Parent Advancement: The Parrots and the Bats

Requirements: To achieve this advancement, you need to breed a pair of each of the following 22 (24 in the upcoming JE 1.20 update) mobs: Axolotl, Bee, Camel (upcoming in JE 1.20), Cat, Chicken, Cow, Donkey, Fox, Frog, Goat, Hoglin, Horse, Llama, Mooshroom, Mule, Ocelot, Panda, Pig, Rabbit, Sheep, Sniffer (upcoming in JE 1.20), Strider, Turtle, and Wolf. It's important to note that a trader llama does not count as a regular llama, and breeding a horse and a donkey to obtain a mule is necessary for this advancement, as they cannot be bred together. Other breedable mobs, if any, can be bred, but they are ignored for this specific advancement.