Anyone talking about growth rates in smaller litters being higher is 100% correct! In the show business (well this is talking about mice specifically, but it transfers to rats, and ASFs also), we take litters down to 6 or less, and when compared to babies from litters 7+ they grow practically twice as fast, I would estimate 40% faster size increase. And they grow up to be healthier (and probably more nutritious!) mice with larger bodies and more fat and muscle.
Also, if you're looking for plenty of big pups for feeders, male pups grow faster than female pups. If you can tell the difference early on, and you're breeding strictly for feeders, it might not be a bad idea to keep more male babies around if you take out any pinkies for feeding to another critter.
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