Indian runner drake loses tail curl- Normal??

[Roxyig]

I had one drake with 5 girls. Drake had a white ring around his neck and a curled feather on his tail. Recently, one female hatched eggs and we now have 6 more runners. Seems we one male for sure in the newest crew. Question- Original drake lost the white ring around his neck and no longer has the curled tail feather! Is this due to a new (younger) male coming into the group? If not, why did this happen? No signs of illness at all. I am not sure what to make of this.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

It is perfectly normal for the time of year. Drakes molt in late summer into Eclipse plumage. Their hormone levels drop and they lose their drake feathers, green heads, and revert back to something similar to their juvenile plumage. In the wild this would help them not be as noticeable to predators. They also become much nicer. In late winter their hormone levels go up and they molt again back into their breeding plumage.
I have noticed that when I have two drakes, one is often the dominant one for that year. His colors are brighter and often has more than one drake curl. So, it will be interesting to see what happens with yours come spring.