I also tend to go with 3 days in and 4 days out....kind of. Typically they are paired up on Mondays and the male is taken out Thursday morning. Like Dave said above, if they have a good lock the first day, I take them out when they separate. That may also mean if they lock on the 3rd day, I wait for them to separate. I offer them both food and then the male goes in back in with his next girl on monday. I still pair them if the female if in blue, but if the male is in blue I wait for him to shed. I try to get at least 4 locks per female per season.