Simple Animal Pens
by dvirov
Simple Animal Pens is a datapack that lets players store many animals of a kind inside a single block, which the author describes as a way to reduce server lag.
What it does
Players store animals in a pen block after capturing them in an animal jar, so one block can hold a large number of mobs instead of each animal occupying space in the world. The datapack is built around a mob-entity tag and item tags, with functions that run when a player interacts with a stored animal.
Server owners install the datapack. Installation needs Fabric API on the Fabric loader; on Forge, NeoForge and Quilt the datapack is loaded through the usual pack folder. The server must run it, while players may add the mod without changing its behavior. Builds cover 1.21.5 – 26.2 across eleven release versions, with 1.1.2 for 26.2 as the latest file. The license is the MIT License, and the project is not open source.
Pack makers can extend the datapack. Adding a mob takes an entity tag entry without its namespace, a new item tag for the items it can use, and a function that runs on interaction. Sounds, item clearing, item giving and particle effects can be added inside a function, and functions can be split so more than one click action is possible.
Key features
Single-block animal storage
Many animals of a kind are kept in one pen block, so the world does not need a separate entity for each stored animal.
Animal jar capture
An animal jar item captures a mob so it can be moved into a pen.
Extensible mob support
A mob-entity tag controls which animals a pen accepts, and new mobs can be added by editing that tag.
Custom interaction functions
A function named for interaction with an entity can add sounds, clear or give items, and spawn particles.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners who want to reduce the number of loaded mob entities, and pack makers who build on the datapack's tags and functions.
How it compares
Lootier Farm Animals is server-side with an optional client, released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, and published for 1.21 – 26.2. All Animals Drop Items is also server-side with an optional client, open source under the Apache License 2.0, and covers 1.21 – 1.21.11. Feed All is client-side only and open source under the MIT License, published for 1.21.11 – 26.1.2.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Animal Pens | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21.5 – 26.2 | Server required, client optional | 2026-07-24 |
| Lootier Farm Animals | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21 – 26.2 | Server required, client optional | 2026-08-17 |
| All Animals Drop Items | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Server required, client optional | 2025-12-20 |
| Feed All | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-05-19 |
Questions
Does Simple Animal Pens need Fabric API?
Does the server need to run the datapack?
Can pack makers add new mobs?
In the catalog
Simple Animal Pens is one of 4,058 Storage mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,474 Storage mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
More from dvirov
Similar mods
What the author says
Simple Animal Pens is a datapack that let players store infinte amounts of mobs in a single block. The pack strive to full support of all vanilla features as well as compatibility with other packs (and even mods in some cases). If you want to add support for new mobs that not supported by default, this section will…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/simple-animal-pens
- Owner
- dvirov
- Published
- 2025-12-06
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-24
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15