Overview
The Incubator is a ranching station in Starsand Island used for hatching eggs into baby animals. It supports chicken, duck, and ostrich eggs, providing an alternative to natural hatching through breeding pairs. The Incubator allows players to hatch eggs independently while parent animals continue their normal production cycles, making it an essential tool for expanding flocks and managing genetic lines efficiently.
How to Unlock
The Incubator is unlocked through the Rancher profession progression. As you advance through the rancher certification tiers at the Green Pasture Ranch, new blueprints become available at Pastelle's shop terminal. The Incubator blueprint appears after completing enough rancher milestones to demonstrate competence in animal care and egg collection.
The exact tier requirement depends on your progression path, but players typically unlock the Incubator around the Junior to Intermediate Rancher level. Complete all available rancher quests from Pastelle to unlock it as early as possible.
Supported Egg Types
The Incubator works with eggs from three bird species in the game:
Egg Type | Source Animal | Hatching Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Chicken Egg | 3 in-game days | Baby Chicken | |
Duck Egg | 4 in-game days | Baby Duck | |
Ostrich Egg | 5 in-game days | Baby Ostrich |
Hatching times are approximate and may vary slightly based on game version. The Incubator processes one egg at a time. You cannot queue multiple eggs; you must wait for the current egg to hatch before loading another.
How to Use
Collect an egg from one of your birds. Eggs appear in the animal's enclosure or nesting area when they are ready to lay.
Interact with the Incubator to open its interface.
Place the egg into the Incubator's input slot.
Wait for the hatching timer to complete. A progress indicator shows how far along the process is.
Collect the baby animal once hatching finishes. The baby appears in the Incubator's output slot or spawns near the station.
The Incubator does not require fuel, power, or any consumable resource beyond the egg itself. Once an egg is placed, the hatching process runs automatically over the specified number of in-game days.
Placement
The Incubator can be placed on your Hopeland property like other crafting and ranching stations. It does not need to be inside an animal enclosure to function. Many players place it near their existing ranching stations or inside a barn for organizational purposes, but any valid placement location on your property works.
Consider placing the Incubator near the enclosure where you plan to move the hatched baby. This reduces the time spent transporting newborn animals across your farm.
Breeding Program Interaction
The Incubator plays a role in breeding programs. Without the Incubator, hatching an egg requires leaving it with the parent bird, which ties up the parent's production cycle. With the Incubator, you can remove the egg immediately and let the parent continue producing eggs or milk at their normal rate.
This is particularly valuable for players pursuing specific genetic traits through selective breeding. You can collect eggs from high-value breeding pairs, incubate them externally, and keep the parents free for continued production. The baby animal inherits traits from its parents regardless of whether it hatches in the Incubator or naturally with the parent.
Incubator vs. Natural Hatching
Method | Parent Status | Hatching Speed | Player Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
Natural (with parent) | Parent is occupied during hatching | Same duration | No interaction needed |
Incubator | Parent is free to produce | Same duration | Place egg, collect baby |
Both methods produce the same result. The advantage of the Incubator is entirely about keeping parent animals productive while eggs hatch separately.
Tips
Prioritize hatching ostrich eggs in the Incubator since ostriches are the most valuable birds and have the longest hatching time. Keeping the parent ostrich free for continued egg production maximizes your output.
If you are running multiple breeding lines, consider crafting a second Incubator. Having two running in parallel doubles your hatching throughput.
Check the Incubator daily. Leaving a hatched baby uncollected does not cause problems, but it prevents you from starting the next egg.
Label or organize your egg storage so you know which eggs come from which breeding pairs. This matters for trait-focused breeding programs.
Pair the Incubator with the Cleaning Pod and Feeding Trough for a fully optimized ranching setup where daily chores are minimized.
Baby animals hatched in the Incubator need to be moved to an enclosure with food and care. Do not leave them on open ground where they have no access to a trough.
The Incubator does not improve the quality or traits of hatched animals. Genetics are determined at the moment the egg is produced, not during incubation.
Related Articles
Animal Breeding
Ranching
Green Pasture Ranch
Cleaning Pod
Feeding Trough