Automated Shipping Hatch Ranch

[Broicious]

I'm trying to learn the 'automation' element of the game and am struggling with my making my hatch Ranches more efficient.

Aim - to fully automate my Ranch - moving eggs, coal and restock feeder.

1. Egg Shipping - I use a critter sensor set to 'above 8' linked to Conveyor loader 1.
2. Coal Shipping - I use a timer set for 10% of the day linked to Conveyor loader 2.
I link these two loaders with an OR gate so they only use power when the automation sends them a green light.

I also want the 'single' auto-sweeper to load the feeder so have a 3rd shipping lane supplying a conveyor receptacle with igneous rock.

Is there a way link all 3 together? so the sweeper is not always on (does it use power when not working - like the incubators) or doesn't that matter?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[The Tempted Man]

there is this cool mod that marks eggs for sweeping, automatically, which could ease this a lot.

[Definitely Boar, Not An Imposter]

95% certain they don't use power if they're inactive like pumps. You can always put them on a dedicated wire though and double check that.

You can ship coal and eggs out together and use conveyor sorting to split them up, but rails/pipes are always one way so you'll need two lines so you can ship in feed.

I'm pretty sure I sorted my eggs into hatching rooms (didn't incubate, just let them slow hatch) and the autowrangle feature to either distribute them to hatch stables or drown them if no stable needed hatches. It kept more hatches actively eating per stable.

[Broicious]

Fantastic, many thanks Boartato. I'll try that.
Thanks Tempted Man, not seen that mod, going to try to make the automation element work first.

[Pedra]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2102455903

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2102455970

its show my hatch farm (combined with drecko farm)
fully automated as you wanted. only things that are manual is getting some food (sand) in the storage container and getting the hatch from the incubator room to the farm

the automation checks if there are less then 8 hatch in the farm (turn green) AND if the incubator is empty. if not the eggs will pass through and go to my killroom.
coal goes on the same conveyer and is later sorted out

PS. dont ask me for a picture of the conveyer rail setup... thats one big spagetti

[Broicious]

Pedra, that is bloody brilliant. Thats more than I was hoping for. Not sure I've got my head around it yet but that is a legendary reply. Thank you so much.

[Shame]

One thing I'm surprised none ever does is simply having one unpowered incubator in a ranch. This results in hatches in a ranch being renewed automatically from 4 - 5, as each hatch lives for 100 cycles and every egg normally hatches after 20 cycles.

With that in mind, you would need to have 4 things shipped away; egg shells, eggs, coal and meat from hatches that die of old age, unless you don't mind the other hatches canibalising for more coal. I tend to have a separate area to properly incubate eggs just for faster income of meat.

[Broicious]

I've been running a separate large incubator room with 10 incubators, that supply 6 stone ranches (each with 8 stone hatches). I've also been wondering about not having hatchlings in my main ranches since i think i read somewhere they eat from the feeder but don't produce coal? (not sure if i've misunderstood that).

My aim is to have total of 48 stone hatches supplying meat and coal. Not sure how many dupes that safely feeds but it works with my base design lol. Its just nice to have surplus food (one challenge ticked off the list).

Either way lots of optimisation to still do and fun way to start learning automation.