My Easter Egger is laying eggs with no shell, gave calcium carbonate, now wheezing

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

I finally figured out my Easter Egger (7 months old) is laying eggs with no shell. I have 4 birds of different breeds and they have been laying about a month. I reliably get 2-3 eggs a day, and each of the three lays a distinct color, though the shade does vary a bit. Dark brown, very light brown, and a medium brown. One day I thought I got 4 eggs so I thought everyone must be laying (because they only lay one egg a day, right?), but now I think it was just that I missed an egg the night before. Sometimes my birds lay at night, before bed. I know this because sometimes one of them won't get up on the roost, they huddle in a nest box instead, and there is always an egg there in the morning at the crack of dawn. Then I saw the telltale sigh of an egg membrane with a pile of egg innards nearby. Just once. But then I realized the huge, extra stinky poops (smell like rotten eggs) are probably shell-less eggs mixed with poop. So I started pushing calcium, even though they have been on layer food since 5 months, and have been snacking on black soldier fly larvae almost daily. I added oyster shell calcium on demand, and try to make sure EE gets it. Now she has started a weird new noise, which could be a wheeze. It's really more of a whistle, or coo. Just started yesterday. I let them forage in the compost heap yesterday for the first time. At first they were a little alarmed because I'd never taken them to that side of the yard before. But once they were all there and I sat down to watch them, they figured out what to do. It's a 3 bin system and I could only put two in each bin because they are 3ftx3ft, but they could see each other. I covered the top with hardware cloth to prevent aerial predators and made a little shade for each bin with a towel. EE and friend actually did the best job of turning the compost. Other than the weird noise, she doesn't seem distressed, though she has always been a leader of the pack and now is acting more subdued. I just spent a couple hours on line looking for avian vets, and they seem to only deal with exotic birds such as parrots, and the reviews are frightening. All 5s and 1s (for the same guy). Some rave about wonderful care, others describe horrific procedures, and price gouging. Like estimates of $100-$200, then being presented with a bill for thousands. Could the Oyster shell calcium be causing this, and what can I do for my bird?

 

[WingItRanch]

Oyster shell wouldn't cause wheezing. Try to get the sound on video. It could be that she's just making some extra noises because she's having a hard time laying her first eggs. When you say you're "pushing calcium" do you mean you're just provided more access to oyster shell?

Calcium Citrate with D3 (found at human pharmacies or even some grocery stores) are often suggested to help with the egg contractions. The pill will seem big but she'll swallow it easily. Just pull down on the wattles and pop it in. Once a day for 5-7 days.

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

Thank you. The sound was like a different kind of bird, not a chicken. Almost like a dove. A very passive sound, not her personality at all.
https://www.google.com/search?cs=0&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS815US815&sca_esv=eef2df5b6d3eddf3&q=Dove+cooing+sound&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigs4_Y-tmKAxWGMEQIHYQHLJQQpboHKAF6BAgDEAM&biw=1964&bih=908&dpr=2#:~:text=Mourning%20dove%20call,4%20years%20ago
Not the "cooah", just the "coo" of sound 1 on this recording, and not repeated three times. She repeated it, but sort of like she was talking to me, not in a pattern like the dove. I almost felt like she was trying to make chicken sounds and this other sound kept coming out, like something was stuck in her throat.

I just fed them, and she made her normal sounds this morning, almost a crow to get me to open the coop door so they can feed. Then once they feed they want out into the run to explore, I usually keep them in there under the coop where the food/water is until I finish emptying the poop out of the sleeping place. Then I check the nest boxes for eggs, open the egg area roof a bit, and turn the fan on. Then I open the door. Since I take the roosting bar out during the day, the don't go in there again unless they are going to lay eggs, so it stays pretty clean. There is a "Penthouse" nesting box on the roof of the coop, and that is the favorite one. They line up and wait for it. But I never see EE hanging out in/by the nest boxes. I did find a possible "poop/eg" in the feeding area after they came out.
When I say "pushing calcium", I mean offering layer feed, scratch grains, black soldier fly larvae (more than the tiny scoop that comes in it), and Oyster shell. And making sure EE has the first access to it.
So is Calcium citrate preferred over calcium carbonate?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

When I say "pushing calcium", I mean offering layer feed, scratch grains, black soldier fly larvae (more than the tiny scoop that comes in it), and Oyster shell. And making sure EE has the first access to it.
So is Calcium citrate preferred over calcium carbonate

I'm not sure the fly larva contains all that much calcium, I believe it's high in protein. Neither are the scratch grains high in calcium. The layer feed does contain calcium, however. The thing is, then, the more she fills up on those other things - the scratch and fly larva - the less room she has for the layer feed. So she may actually be getting less calcium by eating those treats. I also understand that calcium citrate absorbs faster or better but let me ask one of our educators to be sure. She may also agree or disagree with what I've said here. @Eggcessive?

 

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

Thank you again. The package for the soldier fly larvae says "more calcium than oyster shell." But I know from a human standpoint that we don't absorb calcium carbonate. I believe citrate is from a plant source.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Calcium Citrate w/D3 is what you want. I have a EE went through a similar sounding event. Mine started by laying huge eggs. Then they went to shell less, then I was getting lash eggs. You could see she was very uncomfortable/ sickly. A few times I thought of culling her just to put her out of her pain. Now she is the most demanding (in a nice way) chicken who hasn't laid an egg in 10 months.

 

[lagrange chicks]

My EE also had a wheezing sound when breathing. Hope she gets better for ya.