QuestionI have a new litter of yorkies born 102807 - 2 male and one female. Their mom is 4.5lbs and their dad is 6lbs. Mom is only nursing them 1-2 times a day, if that much, they have teeth and are eating softened food. Are they ready to be sold and how much do you think we could sell them for. We paid $700 for Dad and $1000 for Mom. Thanks!
AnswerJoAnn,
Puppies are not usually weaned until they are at least 5 weeks old. Ideally they are not weaned until 6 to 7 weeks old. I have never fed mine softened food until they were at least six weeks old because it is not good for their digestive tract, things have not fully developed yet. In special circumstances you can sell them at six weeks but it is best not to sell them until they are eight weeks old. They learn socialization skills from their parents and since they will experience separation anxiety they are usually not emotionally ready until eight weeks. As far as how much you can get for them it is always a matter of what the market will bare. Different areas different prices and so on. Of course you can always get more for a female than a male so keep that in mind when pricing them. I suggest you look in the papers for your area and see what the going rate is for Yorkie puppies. Because your male is six pounds and not smaller than the female (which is optimal) you will probably not get as much as someone who has a small male bred to a larger female. People want a small dog and yours will probably take after the father and be about six pounds. Their weight full grown also factors in on the price. If you had bred her to a male that was between 2.5 and 3 pounds you would probably be able to get about one third more for the puppies than what you can expect now.
Sincerely,
Melinda
