If there were any questions as to the maturity of my 6+ year old, 600g hen, they are answered for sure this morning. I had an idea last night and yesterday by Sophie's actions that it was happening, and kind of like any "father" during child birth, I felt totally helpless during the egg laying last night. Yes, my little girl laid an egg. I'm guessing to leave it there for awhile? Funny, I've read many posts about this and can't remember a thing. Should I get a fake egg?
She came up off the bottom of the cage (pretty much the main clue, sleeping on the cage bottom) when I put the fresh water and food in her cage. I will look closer after the lights come on. What are the chances of her not showing interest in the egg?

It is an infertile egg so leave it for her to do as she pleases with it. She may try incubate or play rugby or ignore. The fake egg thing is to allow a fertile egg to be incubated when you don't want a chick to hatch. All you have to remember it is her choice what fate the egg enjoys, sometimes taking the egg will just make her lay another. I don't know how she feels about you touching her stuff.

OH MR. JIM!!!! RUBY AND I BOTH ARE GOING TO F A I N T!!!! How precious.....You are a granddaddy! Yea you! ps If Ruby ever lays an egg you all will have to come see about me.... ha! ppss Do I need to come see about you????

Awwwww, sweet Sophie, you are maturing.

When our girl lays eggs I leave them and I add extra calcium to her diet. A lack of calcium in a cycling bird can cause soft-shelled eggs to form in the oviduct that the bird can't push out. Also, the muscle action needed to expel the egg can be weak without adequate calcium. She will start using her own body's supply of calcium to make eggs if she isn't supplemented enough which can make her bones weak, fragile, and easily breakable.

Oh Miss Sophie is a Woman! So how are you feeling Grampa Jim!?

Well, I like to switch the eggs if they try to incubate them because, sometimes, they insist on doing it even after the egg gets cracked and a rotten egg is not the most fragrant thing in the world -LOL- but, IMPE, birds without mates and nests don't try to so I would just leave it there and see what happens. If she insists on setting, order a couple of plastic ones, just in case (they are not that expensive). I would also give her an extra dosage of calcium but not of vit D 3 because she is on pellets, right? If she is not, then Calciboost is in order.

so far leaving it is what has been suggested the most. I don't want her to go into rapid reproduction or anything like that and drop an egg a day like a chicken.
I brought her out to play for a while just now and she has already gone back into her cage. She is just so so precious watching her on the eggs. A nice solid egg too!
Yep, there she goes back to sit on her egg. Guess I know what she will be doing while I'm gone!

Awwwwwwww... Congrats PawPaw!!!!

It's so beautiful!

Congrats Pop-Pop! Yes, your little girl is all grown up now...