I have a small 14 ounce Japanese Bantam Hen that is a house pet. She will be 2 years old Nov. 11. She began laying when she was 5 months old, and all was well until a few months ago when she began laying soft shelled eggs. We had gotten a different kind of laying crumbles, so we purchased the kind we had been feeding, but she continued to lay soft shelled eggs. We also feed her greens, and treats of meal worms, canned crickets, and she loves chedar cheese. We have a pen in our yard for her so she can be out in the sunshine for several hours a day. On the 3rd of July, she passed an egg that had broken inside her, and only part of the shell came out. She acted droopy, so on the 4th, we took her to a Vet, who gave her a thorough exam, including xrays, gave her fluids, a calcium shot, and put her on anti biotics orally. The followiing day she passed the rest of the shell, and seemed better. However, the soft shelled eggs continued.
When she repeated the laying of an egg that broke inside her a month ago, I took her to an Avian Vet, and he said to give her liquid calcium orally daily. Soft shelled eggs continued, and today again another egg broke inside her. Does anyone have any suggestions. She gets lay crumbles, liquid calcium with Vitamin D3, and we coat the crickets and meal worms that she eats with powdered calcium with Vitamin D3 that is made for reptiles. She should be getting plenty of calcium. I know that there are hormone shots to prevent hens from laying, and they can do hysterectomies, but the Vets all agree that these things could endanger her life. It may seem silly to have a pet chicken, but we love Little Bit, and do not want to endanger her life. Do you know if it is life threatening for her to go on laying these soft shelled eggs. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. We have even gotten supplements to mix in the feed from McMurray Chicken Hatchery, to no avail.