Coopmaster or shepherd in Stardew Valley

You need to choose either coopmaster or shepherd when you reach level 10 on your farming (rancher) skill. Which profession is better?

Coopmaster vs shepherd

Your level 5 choice, rancher :

• Animal products worth 20% more

Level 10 choices :

• Coopmaster - befriend coop animals quicker and incubation time cut in half
• Shepherd - befriend barn animals quicker and sheep produce wool faster

Which is better?

The coopmaster profession's incubation time bonus is handy if you'd like to start selling ducks as a new income source. Instead of taking 6 days to hatch, ducks now take 3 days to hatch.

They sell for 1200 gold and you can increase the value by adding stars to them. When selling ducks is combined with the income from duck feathers and duck mayo, the duck farm becomes a pretty good income!

On the other side shepherd increases your wool production from sheep by 50% (2 days instead of 3 days) and those make good money also. You sell the highest quality wool, and use the loom to turn the lower quality wool into artisan goods. Those all receive the +20% value increase from rancher.

They're both good. With shepherd the gameplay doesn't change, you keep doing what you were doing and it becomes more profitable. With coopmaster, you introduce a new income source which implies going over to Marnie to sell your new ducks once in a while.

Better choice: both are good.

Level 10 choices

• Angler or pirate
• Artisan or agriculturist
• Excavator or gemologist
• Lumberjack or tapper
• Mariner or luremaster