>>This is my first year attempting to breed.
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>>1) What's the minimum weight that a female tricolor hog should attain before breeding? I just saw an ad here in kingsnake.com indicating a tricolor female for sale, ready to breed at 55 grams. That seems lower than what I read in Jenea's book on hogs.
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>>2) Also, I was probably late putting my western hogs pair together this year, after brumation. Is there just one breeding window in early spring, or should I keep trying late spring thru the summer?
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>>Thanks! Rick
I can't believe a seller would say that a Tri-Color would be healthy enough to breed at 55 grams. That just seems unrealistic and potentially hazardous to the health of the animal if it would even breed at all. I would say that the minimum at best would be 150-200 grams. I have bred mine at these weights and while there did not seem to be any health related issues towards the female, the eggs were relatively small and the majority were often infertile. Once my females hit 200 grams, egg fecundity rose significantly.
In regards to breeding Westerns, they will double clutch and sometimes triple clutch within a season although they should be of the proper weight to do so. I don't believe there is any specific time frame for success, it all depends on the fertility and responsive of your animals you want to breed together. You'll know when either sex is willing and unwilling to breed. When unwilling, the males will seem disinterested usually moving opposite of the female and the females will sometimes be very flighty also trying to flee the area from the male. But when they are ready, the males will be all over the females while the females might exhibit tail raising and wriggling.
Hope this is helpful. 
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Troy Rexroth
Rextiles
