aggressive hens

[tnshell]

Need some input here. I have 11 hens, 5 of them have been together for over a year. The other 6 joined the flock a few months later. Over the last 4 days, one of the older and one of the younger girls started attacking my older girl. She suffered a broken leg when she was 20 wks old and has been an active accepted member of the flock up til then. Why have they suddenly started doing this? Nothing has changed in their routine, feeding, or anything else. This is more than pecking order as they will go out of their way to savagely attack her. Could this be sexual aggression as i have no rooster? I don't have the setup to separate the 2 attackers, and I am thinking I will have to give the victim to a new home, as she is terrified and losing weight. Any suggestions as to why this happened? Anything would be helpful. Thank you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens will often attack an odd acting chicken, or one acting unwell. I would guess they are picking up on her weakness. It's probably an instinct to rid the flock of diseased members. In the fall some of my molting birds will get chased because they are acting off. You could pen her separately to allow it to settle down for a while.