Hi RAW
DON'T PANIC if she's been egg bound as a result of the first egg being "stuck" there may be a bit of a log jam but it sounds like she's laying and not binding so hopefully it will sort itself out.
Re yogurt I'm afraid I'm not a fan although it might contain the elements we think will help it might also cause a digestive upset and I'd rather not risk that right now. I'd treat this hen as if she's egg bound and the good news is she's passed the shelless egg which should get things moving. If indeed she is having further difficulty passing another egg it might be best to keep her warm indoors in a darkened box to try to help her pass the bound egg and slow down or stop further ovulation.
Egg shells washed and baked and crushed as fine as possible are an alternative emerency source of calcium if you can't get crushed oystershell. Cuttlefish bones are generally used for caged birds and it also helps to wear their beaks. It's an expensive option for chickens, cage birds only need a small amount of calcium compared to Chickens as they only lay fertilised eggs. To get enough you'll need to grind it as fine as possible and mix with the feed. Limestone flour from equestrian suppliers is a concentrated source and shouldn't be given for more than 7 days at a time. If the staple diet is pellets, add a small amount of corn oil (or cod liver oil for the Vit D) to just wet the pellets and very slightly darken them when mixed really well. This will help the ground cuttlefish (or ground egg shell) stick and not settle out.
Oyster shell crushed is by far the best as it serves two purposes one, as a source of soluable calcium which is almost 3 times more concentrated than egg shell, and two as grit to grind up the food in the gizzard.
However the reason I always put emphasis on basic staple nutrition, preferably in pelleted layers pelllets from a reputable manufactuer, is that it is guarenteed to be providing all the nutrients including calcium your chx need. Cutting out treats and other homespun diets removes any risk of a deficiency. So if your do this and the problem persists it suggests some malfunction of the chx metabolism (quite possibly a temporary upset due to other changes like moult, ceasing laying or a simple shock or stress, or worst case an infection. Overdosing on calcium may help but my guess is it won't, though this is an obvious and easy thing to try first. Increasing calcium will only work if it is absorbed and Vit D and other minerals may need to increase too to get the benefit. There are supplements which can be added to water which are supposed to provide all these in the right proportions. I've never used them so can't recommend them from personal experience.
Spot sources of Vit D I'd prefer are cod liver oil, or tuna (in brine is best). Poultry spice should provide the other minerals. Note I don't advocate feeding any of these in normal circumstances and in fact my view of poultry spice is that it's a cure for inducing a nutritional imbalance in the first place and surplus to requirements if the staple diet is right.
I started by saying DON'T PANIC and as with any animal illness the difficult decision is when to intervene and when to let nature take its course. In RAW's case it maybe that in her (?) anxiety to see Gertie fully recovered she may be trying to intervene too early and not allowing enough time to let things sort themselves out. I would say however that if egg binding occurs and laying stops and Gertie shows signs of deterioration or distress it is potentially a dangerous condition and it would be best to see a vet rather than feeding calcium which will take time to have an effect and won't deal with the trauma of a potentially stuck egg in anycase.
Best wishes
HF
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February 24, 2008, 20:08