Stardew Valley: Hatch Your Dream Farm with our Ultimate Incubator Guide!

Stardew Valley offers a diverse selection of farm animals and livestock. Although acquiring all the animals can be challenging for new players, chickens are often the first livestock they obtain. Chickens are renowned for their egg-laying abilities, providing a constant supply of fresh eggs. These eggs can be utilized in various recipes or placed within an incubator.

In Stardew Valley, an incubator is a specialized tool used to hatch eggs and nurture them into baby chickens. It is not limited to just chicken eggs; players can also utilize the incubator to hatch duck, ostrich, and even dinosaur eggs. This versatile tool proves to be incredibly valuable for farmers and is highly recommended for every farm.

How to Get an Incubator in Stardew Valley

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Big Coop

Coops that have been upgraded to either the Big or Deluxe tier come with complimentary incubators. To construct and enhance a Coop, players must visit Robin, the town's Carpenter. The Carpenter's Shop operates from 9 AM to 5 PM every day, apart from Tuesdays when it remains closed. On Fridays, the shop closes early at 4 PM. Coop upgrades typically take two days to complete. The requirements for each tier are specified below.

To upgrade from a regular Coop to a Big Coop, players need 400 pieces of Wood and 150 Stones. The total cost to construct this larger coop is 10,000 g. Alongside an increased capacity for 8 animals, the Big Coop includes a Feeding Bench, a Hay Hopper, and an Incubator.

Deluxe Coop

In order to upgrade the Big Coop to a Deluxe Coop, players will need 500 pieces of Wood and 200 Stones. The total cost for the construction is 20,000 g.

Equipped with a Feeding Bench, an Autofeed System, a Hay Hopper, and an Incubator, the Deluxe Coop can accommodate up to 12 animals.

How to Use the Incubator

The Incubator is located in the upper left-hand corner within an upgraded Coop, adjacent to the Hay Hopper. To utilize the incubator, players must possess the desired egg and right-click on the incubator. Upon doing so, the egg instantly moves from the inventory and the incubation process commences. If the coop has reached its maximum capacity, the egg will not hatch until a spot becomes available.

Once placed in an incubator, an egg cannot be removed.

Incubation Times

Although the incubation process is constant for every egg, the duration for each type differs. The incubation periods for eggs to hatch using an incubator are indicated in the following table:

Always ensure that there is enough space in the coop for newly hatched animals.

Perks of the Coopmaster Profession

Upon reaching Farming Level 10, players are presented with the choice between profession paths: Rancher or Tiller. Those who opt for the Rancher profession then have the further options of becoming a Coopmaster or a Shepherd.

Choosing the Coopmaster profession brings its own benefits. It enables players to quickly establish friendships with coop animals and enhances the overall quality of coop products. Furthermore, Coopmasters enjoy a substantial reduction in incubation times for both regular and Ostrich Incubators, allowing eggs to hatch in half the usual time compared to not having the Coopmaster perks.

Different Types of Incubators

In addition to the standard Incubator, Stardew Valley features two distinct types of Incubators that players can craft according to their needs. These are mentioned below.

Ostrich Incubator

The Ostrich Incubator is designed for the purpose of hatching Ostrich eggs and nurturing them until they reach the stage of baby ostriches. In order to have this incubator in your possession, you need to go through the process of crafting it, as it does not come with any pre-existing farm buildings. Once crafted, it should be placed inside a Barn to ensure its proper functioning. To create an Ostrich Incubator, you will need to acquire the crafting recipe from Professor Snail. This recipe necessitates the use of 50 Bone Fragments, 50 pieces of Hardwood, and 20 Cinder Shards.

The Coopmaster Profession reduces processing time by half, specifically 7,500 minutes. To incubate an Ostrich Egg, players must right-click on the Ostrich Incubator while holding the egg. If the barn is already at maximum capacity, the baby ostrich will not hatch until there is an available space.

Slime Incubator

The Slime Incubator functions as a dedicated apparatus utilized for the transformation of Slime Eggs into fully-formed Slimes. Acquiring the crafting blueprint for a Slime Incubator necessitates the attainment of Combat Level 8. Creating this device mandates the acquisition of 100 Slimes as well as 2 Iridium Bars.

The Slime Incubator available in the Slime Hutch confines slime production to indoor settings, whereas the meticulously crafted Slime Incubator empowers players to nurture slimes in open-air environments. By attaining the Coopmaster Profession, the incubation process is effectively reduced by fifty percent.

Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.