How many incubators per hatch?

[Xilexio]

I read in a few reddit posts that 1 unpowered incubator is needed per 5 hatches (which is 0.2 per hatch) and 1 powered one per 25 (0.04 per hatch), but something doesn't add up.

1 happy hatch produces an egg every 6 cycles of its adult life. It takes 20 cycles for an egg to turn into a hatchling (5% per cycle), be it inside an unpowered incubator, or on the floor. So 20 / 6 = 3.33 unpowered incubators should be required per hatch. It takes 4 cycles for an egg to turn into a hatchling inside a powered incubator (5% naturally per cycle + 20% per cycle when lullabied). Therefore, 4 / 6 = 0.66 powered incubators should be required per hatch.

This is 16.66x more incubators needed than what I read elsewhere. Is my math wrong?

[nakomaru]

Have you considered 0? Incubators give you the same birth rates as no incubators once you have reached your target breeding population. After that, take any extras you need from an overflow room of them hatching on the ground.

[Anjey]

The idea behind is for incubator to be able to replace hatches while they die. 100 cycles lifetime vs 20 cycles to hatch an egg, so 5 eggs per 100 cycles reproducing them completely. And 25 eggs for powered one.

[Xilexio]

I know, but it takes a lot of micromanagement to remove eggs from stables before I get my first dupe being able to create auto-sweepers. I don't know any way to move eggs automatically other than auto-sweepers or incubators. I could put them into storage too, but that decreases their viability and requires some micromanagement too. And I can't wait until auto-sweepers, since I'm going for the Carnivore achievement. So unpowered incubators are a good alternative.

Either way, my main goal is to find out the error in my analysis, as I don't understand where 5 hatches per incubator came from in multiple reddit posts.

[Anjey]

Just now, Xilexio said:

I know, but it takes a lot of micromanagement to remove eggs from stables before I get my first dupe being able to create auto-sweepers. I don't know any way to move eggs automatically other than auto-sweepers or incubators. And I can't wait that long, since I'm going for the Carnivore achievement. So unpowered incubators are a good alternative.

AFAIK you place an incubator and the egg breaker / storage (whatever you like to do with the eggs) with incubator having higher priority, this will make dupes first fill in incubators but that's for sure after you filled in desired population of hatches.

[nakomaru]

It seems like they are using numbers for ungroomed hatches, which give you 1 egg per lifecycle. Hence 100/20=5. This assumes perfect periodicity in their birth timings, which will not happen. It also assumes they give birth at age 80, which I think is also not what happens.

I believe all of your math is right, but you may want to use much more than those minimums since you don't control their timings.

I understand this is too slow for your early game needs, but you can also use an Automatic Dispenser which doesn't require any dupe skills nor refined metal.

[Xilexio]

I see. That makes sense now. Thanks!

[Occam Blazer]

45 minutes ago, Xilexio said:

I don't know any way to move eggs automatically other than auto-sweepers or incubators.

This is what I use before I get autosweepers.

Spoiler

The dispenser is set for eggs. Make sure sweep-only is off. Designate a dupe or two that will run around the map to collect eggs from ranches (that's Nisbet in this example). Set the upper door to allow only them access. Deny them access to the lower door. (That's for your other dupes to collect eggshells and wrangle up adults.) Doors access is important to prevent an infinite supply loop.  Set the drop-off to auto-wrangle down to 0 and you're set.

Edit: it's been a while since I ran any sort of ranch set up. If you get baby hatches auto-wrangled, just add a single block between the eggs and drop-off. Babies can't hop over them and won't be able to path to be wrangled.

[Xilexio]

Thanks! I completely overlooked this building.

EDIT: I created a new setup, presented below. Its advantage is no special permission on doors (hence no single designated dupe for anything) and working well with my 4-tiles-height rooms.