Can missing feathers be genetically linked?

[Lucy4]

So one of my Easter eggers has not had butt feathers for 6 months. (I'm not referring to her tail feathers -- literally her butt is naked. About a 2 by 3 inch perfectly rectangular area.) Nothing has grown back since she lost them half a year ago. None of my other hens have this problem, and I have not observed any of them picking at her.

Here's the weird part: when I got her as a chick, my friend also ordered EE's from McMurray and we got them in the same batch. And one of her EE's has been missing butt feathers for about half a year too.

Is that weird or what? She seems fine, so I'm not particularly worried, but I'm wondering why on earth these EE's have naked butts. My two year old says Alice Chicken really needs a diaper.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[ivan3]

Considering that the Israelis have purposely bred a completely naked variety of chook, I'd wonder if a particular breeding line might not exhibit such with intensive in-and-in breeding. You might post up in the Genetics subject line with a pic of the chook.