Ranching Guide & Frequently Asked Questions
Critter Grooming & Stable Rules
Ranching is one of the most resource-efficient systems in ONI if the stables are configured correctly:
- Grooming Buff: Keeping critters groomed at a station boosts reproduction speed by +900% (reduces Lay Cycle from 60 to 6 cycles for Hatches).
- Stable Dimensions: A Stable room can be up to 96 tiles. Each normal critter requires 12 tiles of space (Pacus require 8 tiles of liquid volume). Going over capacity triggers overcrowding.
- Temperature Limits: Most critters have temperature thresholds (e.g. Slicksters freeze below 35°C, Molten Slicksters require >100°C).
Starvation Ranching Meta
Starvation ranching allows you to farm massive counts of critters with zero resource inputs.
- Shove Voles: Shove Voles have huge starting calorie pools. A groomed Shove Vole will lay an egg and drop 16,000 kcal of raw meat when it dies, even if never fed.
- Pacus: If kept in a large tank, a Pacu will lay 1 egg before dying of starvation. Automated starvation tanks can scale up infinite seafood food loops for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Overcrowded occurs when a stable has less than 12 tiles of room per critter (8 tiles for Pacus). It lowers happiness. Cramped occurs when there is an egg in the stable and the total number of critters plus eggs exceeds the stable's capacity. Cramped immediately drops reproduction rate to 0%, meaning your critters will not lay eggs. Auto-sweepers must be set up to remove eggs from stables as soon as they are laid.
An Evolution Chamber is a layout where eggs are shipped via auto-sweepers and conveyor rails. Once the eggs hatch, the hatchlings fall into a water-filled chamber (typically 1-2 tiles high with a pneumatic door on top so they cannot jump out). They drown, instantly dropping raw Meat (which can be cooked into Barbeque) or Fish Fillets. This automates food production and prevents stable overcrowding.
Shove Voles and Pacus have reproduction rates high enough that, if groomed (or in Pacu's case, kept happy in large enough pools), they will lay at least 1 egg before dying of starvation. By placing eggs in a single room and grooming the hatched critters without feeding them, you get meat/eggs shells for infinite cycles at zero resource/feeding cost.
Dreckos only regrow their scales (Reed Fiber or Plastic) when they stand in Hydrogen gas. However, duplicants cannot breathe Hydrogen. The meta design is to build a tall stable, filling the top 80% with Hydrogen (where Dreckos spend most of their time on ceilings) and the bottom 20% with Oxygen or Carbon Dioxide (where the Grooming and Shearing Stations sit, so duplicants don't need oxygen masks).