asf lines

I currently have 2 different lines of asfr's

line A is pied (i think they are called)with clean butts and pink ears

line B are pieds with dirty butts and black ears, i also have one gremlin that i got with the second line too

so far line A has had 2 litters each. so between 2 females the litter sizes were 6, 5, 3, and 3 and the pinkies were smaller than line B's pinkies too

Line B i've gotten 3 litters so far from 3 females. 12, 17, and 18. And they were all nice and big pinkies

So my question is: has anyone noticed this big of a difference in their lines of asfs?

i think what i am going to do is make a new group from B to replace A if line A's litter numbers dont improve

Intesting. I have 2 colonies as well.
Colony A is normal pieds (?) pink ears clean butts.
Colony B is 2 female gremlins (1 normal, one albino/muted) and the male is normal pied dirty butt, black ears.
Colony B produces higher numbers per litter, however colony A produces every 21-25 days on the nose. BUT Colony B is younger.
So that's my experience, sort of the opposite of yours...

.....Mike? :)

i havent counted to see how often they produce yet. ill have to start doing that

also i had them all in a 1.5 group which is not separated. Male is a dirty butt pied black ears

i forgot to add that line A seems to be better moms. i see them laying on the pinks more often than line B

I hope mike chimes in too along with others that have similar experiences


I was thinking and maybe combining them will produce high # litter that are better moms
all i have to do is set up a group from A because they were bred to the group B male

My colony was created from ASF's from 5 different suppliers who did not get them from one another.... Are they still related from many generations back for the origional people that brought ASF's into the country? probably.

Anywhoo... I have found as long as you keep things mixed up (breeding unrelated as much as possible) the different lines all do about the same as far as litter size and frequency.

alright ill jumble them up and make another group and see what happens

mike
any idea on why this line isnt producing good? maybe too much inbreeding? bad luck?...

how old were they when you got them? How do you know?

i got them as weaners
how? they were pretty small, they are over 2 times the size now and its been about 4 to 4.5 months since i got them and they just started producing

IF you think inbreeding is a problem, mix the lines of your two, or get fresh blood in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matt71915

i got them as weaners
how? they were pretty small, they are over 2 times the size now and its been about 4 to 4.5 months since i got them and they just started producing

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then it is hard to say what the problem is. what are all the details? food, ratios, enclosures ect.

kent 19% rodent

standard concrete tub

they were in a 1.5 group( i dont know if that would have been the problem because line B was in the group too and their numbers were better)

now i have the 2 line A females alone with their babies from the line B male, im going to keep a male to grow up and stay in that tub. so the male will be a mix of line A and B

I know that the breeder i got line A from made his own feed. i dont remember what the ingrediants were but i think it was mostly corn. Ill try and find the recipe

Connie
im planning on mixing the 2 lines i have and im going to try and get another line soon
So far i've only found 2 different lines in the southern WI and northern Illinois area
One line everyone seems to get theirs from is Carl Vail and then a guy in Illinois who sold them at the all animal expo

so i talked to the guy i got Line A from
he said he got his original group from Florida
He also said that he never thought anything was wrong because he always got lower litter numbers

the recipe he is using now is as follows
2 part wild game bird seed
1 part rabbit feed
1 part oats
1 part barley
1 part soy meal/or natures choice lamb and rice dog feed

then it is run through a flour mill

this is a different recipe from when he showed me what he used in Feb. I cant remember the other one or find it anywhere

I have seen lots of people use complicated feed mixes for ASF's. I have never seen any of these mixes work as well as 100% mazuri 6f or the correct hog feed. I get private messages all the time with "I feed this mix... and all these things are wrong." I always recommend 100% Mazuri or the hog feed. Usually a couple weeks later I get a "thank you!!!" private message from the same person.

alright ill let him know

i was gonna check out the hog feed you recommended when i got to get more bedding

the kent works but hey if i could spend a couple bucks less for food ill do it

the only thing im not sure about is if it will be ok for domestic rats too?

Yea, when you mix your own feed, for ASF's, mice or domestic rats, you run the risk of a nutritionally deficient diet.

ALWAYS provide a core of lab block or an appropriate hog feed. If you want to add extra, make sure you aren't interfering with the base of the food.

I say, cut out the extra crap and feed a lab block. I have great success with rat blocks. Mike has great success with a hog feed.

Do the homework, try stuff out, and keep it simple.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

i say, cut out the extra crap and feed a lab block. I have great success with rat blocks. Mike has great success with a hog feed.

Do the homework, try stuff out, and keep it simple.

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amen sister!!!

im currently feeding kent 19% rodent diet alone.
I just remembered that he said he made him own food and the fact that his line of asfs were poor producers... so i told him why i thought his were producing so poorly.
I gave him info about mazuri, kent, and the country acres hog food and where to get it and he said he would check it out.

I'm still on the hunt for the hog feed though... my local tsc doesnt carry it and said they wont be ordering any. The tsc's in close by cities dont carry it either.
I don't get it because there are 2 pig farms just outside of town too..

There are a LOT of different hog feeds. Even one brand will have several different formulas, and some that would be inappropriate for rats.

Research research research.

BTW, some feeds are only available locally. Such as Mike's 'Country Acres' is available only in the south eastern region of the US, and is not sold elsewhere on a regular basis.

oooh ok thats probably why i cant seem to find it :oops:
i did find a mini pig/ potbelly pig food that has similar protein and fat to the kent im using, the fiber is a little high and im not sure if its too high
protein min 16%
fat min 3%
fiber max 11%
i have yet to check if my TSC carries it though i was searching online and say it
Ill be going there either tomorrow or early in the week to see what they have

would other live stock feeds be suitable too, should i stay away from certain feed because they have something in them?

Most other livestock are grazers/herbivores. They will have a very high fiber content, I feel too high for rats.

The fat on the potbelly pig is low, not terrible, but low.

Google feed mills near your area, they may likely be purina dealers and can order a variety of products.

alright, ill do that and see what i can find. Thanks for the help Connie and Mike