Wonderful!I was about to update everyone on Peanut's progress on this! Calcium Citrate is what @DobieLover recommended as more absorbable, and Vit D3 helps to make is more "bioavailable" also. Same as humans.
Yes, soft shell eggs were once in a while, and then became a regular occurrence. Someone or more in the tribe was laying a softshell egg off and on, and then for a stretch of days, with 4 days in a row in there. I figured out it was Peanut on at least one of those days. So I initiated a calcium supplement for everyone if they wanted it, but focusing on getting Peanut to take it. I transitioned them to Nutrena Feather Fixer as @BY Bob recommended over about a week. I can only get it in pellets. They like it better than the crumbles dry, but turned up their noses at mash made from it.
While waiting for the feed to come and into this week I've kept making a calcium supplement crushed and mixed with greek yogurt and a little bit of the old feed crumbles. No molasses in there anymore, they like it as is. I've used both calcium citrate +D3 and Assorted Berry Tums (which have no D). @DobieLover recommended 600mg per bird, so that's about 1 Tums [EDIT mine says 750 mg per tab on the bottle] or 2 calcium citrate + D3 pills [EDIT it says two will make 630 mgs on the bottle - these amounts vary on the make so check the bottle] per chicken. They will eat from the little mash pile directly but like to take (and I like offering it) in little balls to them. Everyone takes some, Popcorn and Hazel some, Butters now and then. But Peanut has consistently been taking it and seems eager for it (or maybe because I focused on her, it's now "her" thing?
Well today Peanut laid a perfect, oblong, firm shelled egg! Yay!![]()
Thank you for the dosing information - I have both calcium citrate and calcium carbonate - both with D3. One is 400mg per pill and one is 500mg.
I am grinding them up and scrambling them into eggs. Hope it works!