2-4 Players
Ages 6+

Object of the game:

To win Barnyard Battle, be the first player to complete 3 animal barns with 3 animals.

How to play:

• Each player is dealt 5 cards at the start of the game.

• Each player picks up 2 cards from the draw pile at the beginning of their turn.

• Each player can play up to 4 cards per turn. A play is considered any time a card is played on the table (such as feed bag cards, animal cards, or actions cards against opposing players). You do not need to play all 4 cards per turn if you do not want to.

  • Cards are played face up in front of each player. Once a card is played, it cannot be moved back into your hand.

  • For every animal card played, the player must also have a feed bag card played. If the player does not have enough feed bags to cover their animals by the end of their turn, the unfed animals must be discarded.

• At the end of each player’s turn, they cannot have more than 7 cards in their hand. If they have more than 7 cards, they need to discard the excess cards into the discard pile in the middle.

• Play clockwise around the table until someone completes 3 animal barn sets (for example: 3 pigs; 3 horses; and 3 chickens) and they are the winner of Barnyard Battle!

  • “Wild Animal” cards can be substituted for any animal type and once played on the table, can be swapped among sets during your turn.

Note: If the draw pile runs out before there is a winner, shuffle the discard pile and flip it over. This is the new draw pile.

ACTION CARDS

Barnyard Battle includes several action cards, which may be played as part of a turn. These include:

Take 2 Feed Bags: When a Take 2 Feed Bags card is played, take 2 feed bags from an opposing player of your choice. If this action depletes the opposing player’s feed bag reserves and they cannot cover their animals, this player has until the end of their next turn to earn more feed bags. The player does not have to immediately discard animals when a Take 2 Feed Bags card is played. Note: No change is given. For example, if a Take 2 Feed Bags card is played and the opposing player only has a 4 Feed Bag card, that player has to give over all of their feed bags!

Poach: When a Poach card is played, select an animal from an opposing player and bring it into your barn. If a barnyard set is complete (3 animals) then an animal cannot be poached.

Tornado: When a Tornado card is played, remove an animal, or animal set, from an opposing player and force them to discard the animal(s). The tornado only applies to one player and one type of animal. For example, if an opposing player has two chickens and the tornado card is played, the player would have to discard both chickens. Sets are not safe from tornados!

Barn Raid: When a Barn Raid card is played, raid an opposing player’s barn and take their animals into your barn. This card applies to one type of animal. This action is similar to a Poach action, but it can be used to take the entire set.

Farmer’s Block: A Farmer’s Block stops any action card played by another player. For example, if a player tries to steal your set with a Barn Raid, play a Farmer’s Block and keep your set. Farmer’s Blocks can be stacked to block a block.

Farm Dog: These are the most valuable cards in the game! This card protects a completed set of three animals (ex: 3 pigs). When a Farm Dog is played on the set, the set cannot be poached, raided, or tornadoed by an opposing player. The Farm Dog does NOT require a feed bag to be kept in a player’s barn. For example, a set with 3 chickens and a farm dog would only require 3 feed bags. But if a player does not have enough feed bags to feed their set, then the Farm Dog is discarded along with the unfed animals.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is trading allowed?

No, you cannot trade cards

Can you poach a Farm Dog?

No, you cannot Poach, Barn Raid or Tornado a Farm Dog

Can you play down feed bags without an animal?

Yes, you can play down feed bags without any animals

Can you pass your turn?

You can choose to play 0 cards on your turn as long as your hand does not exceed 7 cards.

Can you win with 3 barnyard sets, but not enough feed bags?

No, you need at least 9 feed bags (1 feed bag per animal) to win the game

When using a “Take 2 Feed Bags” card do you take two feed bags or two cards?

You take two feed bags. The attacked player decides which cards to give. This may be a single “2 Feed Bag” card or two, “1 Feed Bag” cards. The attacked player may have to sacrifice a higher card, for instance a “4 Feed Bag” card, if that is their lowest card. Remember, no change is given. 

Can you poach a wild card?

Yes, you can poach any animal not in a set, including wild cards

Can you have a wild played down detached from other animals?

Yes, wilds can be played to complete a set or on their own.

What if you have 4 or more of the same animal and someone Tornados that kind of animal?

Tornado cards only get rid of up to 3 animals so the remaining animal would remain in play. 

Can you Farm Dog one animal?

No. A Farm Dog can only be used to protect a completed set.

Can you have two of the same kind of animal sets (i.e. two pig barns)?

Yes, it is perfectly fine to have two sets of the same animal

Cards in Barnyard Battle
There are a total of 102 cards in the deck. This includes:

Feed Bag Cards

10 One Feed Bag

5 Two Feed Bag

4 Three Feed Bag

2 Four Feed Bag

2 Five Feed Bag

1 Ten Feed Bag

Animals Cards

6 Pig

6 Cow

6 Sheep

6 Goat

6 Horse 

6 Chicken

6 Wild Animal

Action Cards

10 Poacher

10 Take 2 Feed Bags

5 Farm Dog

5 Tornado

3 Barn Raid

3 Farmer’s Block