I keep 1.3 in the small mixing tubs. I do not remove the females. It's a trade off. I would get more babies using a maternity rack but I would also get a lot more work.
I found that some groups do very well together, meaning the females are pregnant every time they can be and that 95% of the babies survive. Other groups will not produce as much and will also lose a lot of what they do produce. Those groups get replaced.
You must keep surplus females and you must be willing to replace groups that are not doing well. That's a tough thing to do when you first start. I had two groups that produced well but would lose all of the babies. They were my pinkie production groups.
Rolled oats has helped my production as a supplement to lab block. Not sure why but I read about it here so I tried it. And rats love a routine. They get used to things a certain way and changing it throws them off.
Sorry for the random thoughts. Good luck.
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