Can you feed animals without a trough?

[SeaWarriorSon]

I occasionally hear rumors that you can place veggies on the ground, and animals will eat those and eventually mate, without need of a trough

Is this true?

I have a bunch of sheep

[Maelstrom]

That was true for rabbits back in the day.  I don't think that is a viable game mechanic anymore; but someone with more technical expertise (like @tehpizzalady) can answer that question definitively.

[Demoncyborg]

yes! you can throw food on the ground for any animals to eat! as long as it's something they do eat (the trough will tell you what animals it's suitable for) most if not all animals will path towards and eat food items dropped on the ground if they are hungry.