Bald rumps?

[Susan Skylark]

Do I have a rump pecker in my flock? I had a couple hens in different pens missing feathers just above the tail before switching to a large group pen, now I have a young male with the same issue. I assumed it was just obnoxious males, but it may be a cranky hen or two chasing off other birds. It isn’t mites or dermatitis, nobody is itchy and the skin is healthy underneath, I’ve seen a little rump pecking but nothing particularly nasty in any particular bird, mostly just somebody impatient for a particular feeder spot or annoyed someone else is after their dust bath spot. Not a huge issue just makes them look a little frumpy!

 

[FatherFalcon]

With the change of season, I would not count out that they are starting or ending a moult..

 

[Susan Skylark]

My older bird’s desperately need a molt but it seems odd they are only molting their tail feathers and not growing them back.