Gary wrote:
My questions -
1) Would these wierd offspring just be some kind of mutation or
natural deviation from the normal after a few generations of
in-breeding, or is this some kind of disease process?
Thanks,
Gary

Some species naturally produce a lot of mutants (e.g. goldfish,
guppies, day lilies) and some have bred relatively true for millions of
years (e.g. sharks, roaches, ferns). If goldfish didn't produce the
variation that they do it would be difficult to select for desired
traits.

Cam