So I've managed to acquire my first animals, and I'm trying to figure out how to maximize their rate of reproduction. My first thought was to split my animals into two different pastures, but I'm not sure if this will actually help or hurt the rate of reproduction. The help menu states that animals in a pasture not being worked will reproduce slower, and I'm assuming this applies to pastures with only one herdsmen as well. I'm also not sure if the number of animals in the pastures makes a difference (that is, will 4 sheep reproduce faster than 2 sheep?).

What affects the growth rate of animals, and how can I use this to maximize their reproduction rate?

So I've managed to acquire my first animals, and I'm trying to figure out how to maximize their rate of reproduction. My first thought was to split my animals into two different pastures, but I'm not sure if this will actually help or hurt the rate of reproduction. The help menu states that animals in a pasture not being worked will reproduce slower, and I'm assuming this applies to pastures with only one herdsmen as well. I'm also not sure if the number of animals in the pastures makes a difference (that is, will 4 sheep reproduce faster than 2 sheep?).

What affects the reproduction rate of animals, and how can I use this to maximize their reproduction rate?