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IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN LAYING HENS?
Hey,
If you have your own laying hens who are well looked after and have the ability to roam free in your back yard what is the harm in eating their eggs?
They are unfertilised!
Any thoughts on this. I only eat free range eggs myself but hope to have my own in years to come!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on -
Agreed. I mean purely by definition that makes you an ovo-vegetarian. It's not a bad thing to be, don't feel ashamed to label yourself correctly.
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Permalink Reply by Enisa Brown on -
If you have your own hens at home and they are happy, healthy and live in a good environment where they are free to roam, I see nothing wrong with eating the eggs which would be going to waste anyway if left alone, and I don't agree with wasting food either when so many people in the world are starving.
I abhor the practices of the egg industries even free-range the male birds are still discarded in a horrible manner.
I try my best to live a vegan lifestyle and avoid all animal products when I can, but my husband and children still eat eggs and dairy...I would rather feed them eggs from our own chickens than buy any shop-bought eggs.
Veganism is great, but common sense must sometimes prevail.
It's all about how you feel and your own conscience. If some people still feel that eggs contain a sacred form of life essence then I understand they would not eat any eggs whatsoever even unfertilised.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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I just don't eat eggs because I find the concept of them to be gross, but I love that others who do continue to eat eggs take the matter into their own hands to ensure there isn't cruelty. I feel that's a very wonderful thing for a vegetarian to do, especially since you can give other chickens a good home, etc. While I personally again don't eat eggs, that you ensure your family gets them from a cruelty-free source is commendable. Ending cruelty is where it's at anyways ;)! Beyond that, it's purely preference.
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Permalink Reply by Brittany on -
I have raised my own chickens, on acreage where they are free to forage and roam and live very happy lives.
Yes, they do lay an egg every day whether it's fertilized or not. It's not a baby chicken, it's chicken menstruation. You're not killing a baby every time you have a period, and neither are chickens.
That said, unfertilized eggs go to waste if not used. Chickens will eat their own eggs if broken or if they are not going to hatch. It's recycling, it's sensible, that's nature for ya.
Real free-range chicken eggs (and when I say that, I'm skeptical about regulations regarding the 'free range' label. A farmer can still raise very miserable chickens and get a 'free-range' stamp) are incredibly rich and delicious from a balanced diet of insects, plants, and other food sources that foraging omnivores enjoy. The crap you get at the store doesn't even compare.
After raising my own chickens, I can't stand those pale, pasty store-bought eggs anymore.
Eggs, of course, have their own nutritional issues. They are powerhouses of nutrition on one side, but are extremely high in fat and cholesterol on the other, so think carefully about your consumption of eggs. Moderation is good, but it's your decision.
I personally loved raising chickens. They are very sweet and intelligent little critters. My only regret is having to leave them with my mother in California when I moved back into an apartment in Seattle! I miss them so much!!
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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I find that well said- it's a chicken period. You can ensure eggs are not fertilized, ESPECIALLY when you raise them on your own. While I'm vegan and I don't eat eggs, if I was vegetarian I would feel compelled to do as you have done, and give chickens a good home and ensure there was no cruelty in the process.
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Permalink Reply by AMS14 on -
I'm jealous you are able to have your own hens!! Sounds weird, but if it's on my list of top 10 things that I would get if I could. :) It's the only way to really know where your food comes from.
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Permalink Reply by Xiao Kang on -
Read More Comments Here : http://www.facebook.com/vegetarianpage/posts/235226109897004
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Permalink Reply by Caroline Rivers on -
As a vegan, I have to say in reply to your question, it is never ok to eat (use) eggs.
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Permalink Reply by Humberto VEG ANtonio Ruiz on -
Honestly, I don't think there's a safe way to find out if eggs are humane or not. I find it easier to just consume only plants.
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Permalink Reply by Tim S on -
When I became vegan we had backyard hens and roosters and we used to consume their eggs. I didn't that much, because I really never liked eggs that much and also didn't consider them healthy. When I was in the process of becoming vegan, I didn't need to think about eggs. I knew I won't miss them. Instead dairy cheese was something that I needed to work hard to get over. After a few months of being vegan, both eggs and dairy smelled very strong to me, not tempting at all, and not even food, so I never even thought I could eat them again, and since that I haven't, except accidentally without knowing a few times, and it made me sick. I have heard from some other vegans too, that when you do not consume animal products, your body (and mind) becomes very sensitive to them, even the smell. I don't want to kill that sensitivity by having any kind of them. So, I think if I would eat eggs of my own hen or drink milk of my own cows, that would make it easier for me to buy products with "a little bit" of egg or dairy in them, because "I eat it at home anyway".
I agree with you guys above, that point out problems of egg production, even of free range backyard hens. Rescuing is better, that's what we did too, but if you get involved in the breeding industry, then it's very cruel to the males. I also discovered that the commercial feed that we fed to our chickens, actually contained some animal protein, so by buying it, you are supporting animal industry. I also felt very bad when it happened sometimes that a dog, rat or python snake got one of our chooks, killed and ate it. It happens in nature ok, but I still didn't want to get involved and encourage it in my own backyard.
I love chicken, they are smart and cute creatures. I could still rescue some in my backyard if I could avoid them getting killed by anyone and feed them plant only feed. But still I wouldn't eat their eggs, but would feed break them and let the chicken eat them, like they do, or then just compost them.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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Agreed :(! I always thought it was myth, but now being vegan for 11 months, the very smell makes me sick. On times I have accidentally been served anything out of the ordinary, I get very ill. I'm dreading Thanksgiving, I am planning on skipping it all together, the smell of baked turkey flesh will probably make me very nauseous.
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