Hmm, that makes sense...Ragnar's only daughter (from a Wyandotte mother) lays eggs that I wouldn't consider dark chocolate brown by any stretch of the imagination, so I suspect he probably doesn't pass on strong dark egg genes. But, his daughter's eggs are darker and have a "shinier" texture (if that makes sense) than the other hens' eggs, so they are distinguishable. I'm not all that concerned about getting the darkest egg color possible, just getting eggs dark enough so that we can tell which ones will hatch Marans chicks. I do like the dark egg color, but I mostly like the Marans breed for their sane temperament, resiliency in different weather conditions, and that they can be good for meat, too.
Why do you say that inbreeding is not as much a concern for poultry as it is for other animals? Do they have less genetic diseases in general to worry about? Or, do most genetic abnormalities result in them not being able to hatch at all?
