Feathers plucked out

[artsy1]

I have 5 cortinix quails, 4 females and 1 male. All the females feathers are plucked out on their backs towards their rearend.
Now I have seen the male, jump on the backs to do the nasty, but he hangs onto their necks, not the backend?
I don't know who or why this is happening? Do you think they are plucking out their own feathers? or is one of them doing it to the others?
The male has his feathers plucked out too, but not nearly as bad.

 

[_Randall_]

I don't have Cots, but I would suspect it's molt time (feather shed) ..... from your desciption.

 

[rittert3]

If there are outside with no added light I would guess they are molting too. Has their egg production dropped?

 

[artsy1]

Yes they are outside, but I have a light on at night, because I have4 week old baby chickens , in the straw, where they all like to lay.
I just know that one of them are plucking them out, cause they are all gone from the same area. I tried those hen aprons--------------had 2 really make smaller, that was a complete joke, they hated them and I thought they were gonna kill themselves with all the flailing around, they hated them.
I just hope that they don't die, sometimes I see lil specks of blood where the feathers were. Eggs are still up.