Turtle Scute Farm and Beach Nursery

What you will get

Turtles always return to the beach where they hatched to lay eggs. That makes a turtle farm location-bound: you build the nursery on their home beach, not at your base. With good protection it becomes a steady source of scutes for turtle shells and potions of the turtle master.

Materials

1–2 stacks of seagrass (shears), 30 fences, torches or lanterns, sand blocks, a water pool area, optional: hoppers and a chest, glass for a protected pool.

Step-by-step

Step 1: Find the home beach. Turtles spawn on beaches in warm and temperate areas. Remember where you found them – they will always come back here.

Step 2: Collect seagrass. Use shears on seagrass underwater. You need it for breeding and to speed up baby growth.

Step 3: Breed two turtles. Feed both seagrass. One turtle becomes pregnant, walks back to its home beach and lays 1–4 eggs on sand.

Step 4: Protect the eggs. Fence the nest and light the area. Zombies, drowned and other mobs try to trample turtle eggs. Do not walk on the eggs yourself.

Step 5: Hatch the eggs. Eggs crack in several stages and hatch much faster at night. Stay within range so the chunk stays loaded.

Step 6: Raise the babies. Guide babies into a fenced shallow pool. Baby turtles take about 20 minutes to grow up; feeding seagrass speeds this up.

Step 7: Collect scutes. When a baby grows into an adult it drops one turtle scute. Place hoppers or pick them up by hand.

Step 8: Use the scutes. Five scutes craft a turtle shell (10 seconds of water breathing after leaving water). A turtle shell in a brewing stand with an awkward potion makes a potion of the turtle master.

How to check it works

After one night you should see baby turtles in your pool. About 20 minutes later (less with seagrass) each adult baby leaves one scute behind.

Common mistakes

Building the nursery at your base – turtles only lay eggs on their home beach.
Walking or jumping on eggs – you can break them.
Leaving the beach dark – mobs trample eggs at night.
Breaking eggs without Silk Touch – they cannot be picked up and moved otherwise.

Variations

Repair a turtle shell with scutes on an anvil, or collect enough for several potions of the turtle master for raids and boss fights.

Tip: Babies grow faster if you feed them seagrass.

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