We know that vegans don't consume eggs
but what about eggs from backyard chickens?
Why would that be a problem? After all these hens live a good life, right?
These are questions vegans encounter all the time and at first, they seem reasonable
After all, most of the problems associated with egg production don't exist with eggs from backyard hens
So what would the problem be?
The first thing to consider is where the hens have come from
If they have been bought from a farmer or a breeder
Then by buying hens, we are still contributing to the problems associated with commercial egg production
Such as the male chicks being killed at birth, normally through being macerated or being gassed
And the other hens who are instead used or sold into commercial egg production
being killed in slaughterhouses after only 18 months.
However, if we adopt hens from farms or slaughterhouses and rescue them from these places,
then what could possibly be the problem?
Firstly, it's important to recognize that hens wouldn't naturally lay 300 or more eggs a year
but have instead been selectively bred to do so
Wild red jungle fowl, the ancestor of the modern day egg laying hen
Only produce around 10 to 15 eggs a year and will lay in clutches
Rather than producing eggs on an almost daily basis
Which means we have bred these animals to produce up to 30 times more eggs than they are naturally designed to do so
This obviously takes a huge toll on their bodies
Especially, as it also depletes a lot of vitamins and minerals from their bodies, including calcium
Which is taken from their bodies to produce the shells
This is one of the reasons why osteoporosis and broken bones are such a huge issue within commercial egg farms
with it being reported that as many as 86% of egg laying hens in the UK suffering a fracture
However, this loss of nutrients can also have an impact on backyard hens
With egg binding being an issue where an egg becomes physically stuck inside the hen, which can ultimately lead to the hen dying
This is why one of the best ways to protect hens from nutrient deficiencies and health problems is to feed their eggs back to them
Which will help the hens replace their lost nutrients and they also really enjoy it.
Other health complications exacerbated by a hen's excessive egg production include egg yolk peritonitis
Where the yolk of the egg gets stuck in their body and becomes infected by bacteria such as E-coli
When peritonitis becomes widespread it almost always leads to death
Egg laying hens will also suffer from prolapses
Where the cloaca, the area of the body where the egg comes out, is pushed outside of their body
Meet Amelia, Grace and Edith
three rescued hens who all love to eat their own eggs and even the shells to regain their lost calcium
Grace is displaying broodiness, a hen's natural behavior where she incubates her eggs
However, if we were to take her eggs from her, it would deny her the ability to carry out one of her natural behaviors
Which is one of the reasons why Grace gets to keep her eggs
As well as eating their eggs when they're fed back to them
Hens will often eat their eggs themselves without their owners having to break the eggs or specifically feed them back to them
However, this is viewed as being negative by people who keep hens just for their eggs
We've even been advised that hen owners should cull the hens who are eating their own eggs
As those hens aren't serving the purpose the owners want them to
And they can also teach the other hens to eat their own eggs as well, further amplifying the perceived problem
And this really highlights the wider problem of backyard eggs
The intention of why someone has hens in the first place
If the intention of having hens is only because you want the eggs
then that means we are viewing the hen as a resource and viewing their worth of life as being dependent on what they produce for us
This is why it can be seen as normal to kill a hen because they are eating their own eggs
As it means they are no longer seen as being worthy of life simply because we can't take their eggs
In effect, we deny them their autonomy
This can also be shown through hen owners who, instead of paying the vet bills to save their hen from any health complications
Will instead have their hand culled, as it is often cheaper to do that and simply purchase a new hen instead
And because the number of eggs that hens produce declines over time
Many head owners will kill their hens when they stop laying eggs
or reduce the production to the point they are no longer seen is worth keeping
"They're gonna stop laying forever and you're gonna feel the need to stop buying them feed just for the heck of it"
"And they are gonna need to be exchanged into another product besides egg"
To draw a parallel, when we rescue a dog
We don't do so with the motivation that the dog has to provide anything for us
We want them in our families and we want them to live as long healthy and happy lives is possible
However, with backyard hens we compromise their health because we want to take their eggs
Would it be more preferable for the hens if we fed their eggs back to them and allowed them to display their natural behaviors
To protect the hens even more, they can be given a tiny hormonal implant which stops their bodies from producing eggs
Similar to how a hormonal implant for female humans stops their body from ovulating as well
And whilst this may seem unnatural
It is simply trying to alleviate the problem that has been caused with how unnatural we have made these hens in the first place
By selectively breeding them which has been done with the intention to suit our own financial and personal motivations
Ultimately, reducing the number of eggs that a hen produces in a safe and effective way will provide the best outcome for the hen
Who will feel less strain and be at less risk of health complications
And from a more philosophical perspective, hens don't produce eggs for us and their bodies aren't ours to use
Rescuing hens from farms and slaughterhouses
Or from a school project, like Amelia here, who is destined to go back to an egg farm where she'll be exploited and killed
as all chicks hatched in school projects are
Is a wonderful thing to do precisely because it gives these hens a chance to live a happy and long life
But having hens because we want their eggs is akin to rescuing or buying a lactating dog
Simply because we want to drink their milk. So ultimately, the most ethical way to look after backyard hens
is a way that provides them the best opportunity to live a long healthy and happy life
And by taking their eggs, we compromise that
Meaning that, taking their eggs is less ethical than feeding them back
Or taking safe steps to reduce the number of eggs they produce in the first place
And even more than that, veganism is about redefining our relationship with other animals
And acknowledging that their right to life is not predicated on what we can take from them
To view these animals as needing to provide for us is to view them as a resource
As opposed to viewing them as individuals who deserve their own autonomy
And even though it may seem abstract
The reason we have commercial egg productions now is because over time we went from backyard production to industrialized production
Which came as a result of us viewing animals as resources and denying them the right to their own body
We didn't wake up one day with large-scale animal farming
We created it over a period of time by telling ourselves that these animals are here to produce for us
And kidding ourselves into thinking that we had the animals best interests at heart
While simultaneously maximizing their use for our own personal gain
And as long as we see animals in this way
We will continue to exploit them in ways that come at a detriment to their happiness and well-being
So let's give these hens the life that they deserve
Not so we can take anything from them
But because we want them to express their natural behaviors and
live a long and happy life