On Friday I went to the dentist and as I was chatting with the dental hygienist she made a joke about not giving me any anesthesia because I might bite off part of my tongue and swallow it. I said that would be really bad since I’m vegan and don’t eat meat.
Her: “So you don’t believe in eating eggs?”
Me: “No, for me I have made the choice not to eat any animal products.”
Her: “Why?”
Me: “Because of the way the farmed animals are treated. Did you know…”The temperature of the room dropped a bit.
Her (interrupting me): “Well my family raised chickens for eggs and we gave them plenty of room and care. Would you eat the eggs then?”
Me (keeping in mind that this woman would soon be putting sharp objects into my mouth): “At this point I personally just can’t bring myself to eat animal products, but I believe it is a personal choice and I think it is wonderful that you and your family care for the animals you raise.”
The temperature in the room returned to normal.
While this could have been a very difficult situation she did raise a valid question. What is wrong with eating eggs that come from a family farm environment that allows chickens space to roam around? Certified Humane Meat or Happy Meat is a big movement right now that is growing in popularity because of unanswered questions just like this one. The premise is that animals can be raised in an environment which is very similar to a Norman Rockwell picture of the small family farm where dairy cows are called Betsy and chickens freely roam the yard. Seems the perfect solution doesn’t it? Actually, no it isn’t and the Human Meat movement is a big problem. However, for this post I’ll stay focused on the specific question of eggs from family farms. In another post I’ll talk about the larger Happy Meat issue.
So what is wrong with eating the eggs from family farmed chickens? Well, let’s start at the beginning. Even on family owned, small farms, male chicks are of no value. They do not give eggs and thanks to modern breading, they do not grow big enough to be a “broiler” chicken. Therefore, they are killed after hatching. It isn’t cost effective to raise them. It just rips at my soul to think of these little innocent beings eagerly breaking out of their shells to greet the world only to be suffocated or ground alive.
Granted, not all family farms hatch chicks, which would require dealing with the male chicks. A good portion of them order the chicks which are shipped in the mail or they go to the local feed store to buy them. That doesn’t eliminate the death of the male chicks of course. It just moves the actual act of killing to someone else. I’ll bet Norman Rockwell never painted that part of the simple farm life.
And what about after the chicken is no longer able to provide eggs? Chickens naturally live for 7-10 years (this is not the case for factory farmed chickens). However, they start decreasing egg production after the first year and by the end of the second year most are “removed”. But let’s say our compassionate farmer keeps all the chickens and allows them to live a natural life span. After a couple of years that would not be financially viable for Mr. Farmer. Very quickly he would be feeding and caring for more retired chickens than productive chickens. The reality is that our family farms participate in the killing of male chicks and the killing of hens when they become no longer useful. That is not how a feeling sentient being should be treated and it isn’t humane. People do not need eggs to live a healthy, happy life so killing living beings just to eat eggs is hard to justify. I would say impossible to justify.
I won’t eat family farmed eggs because the beginning and the ending for these miracles of God are just the same as factory farmed chickens. The two to three years they get to live while serving humans is not an equitable trade for the life of a feeling, thinking being.
I really liked this post. I didn’t realize that it doesn’t make a lot of difference whether it’s a family, local farmer. I’m trying to work toward cutting out all dairy products as well because in my situation living in a city I don’t even have access to potential local, humane food (I don’t believe any food is humane that comes from a farm big enough to supply a national grocery chain with meat year round).
By: realfunfood on August 18, 2011
at 9:33 am
I’m so happy you like this post! And I think it is wonderful that you are cutting out dairy. Beyond the animal abuse, dairy really, is not healthy, in my humble opinion
By: Debbie on August 19, 2011
at 5:58 pm
I agree with what you’re saying. As someone who currently has laying hens, I know the truth of this situation. I myself have mainly pet birds, but my parents do have chickens here for meat and eggs. I wish that all chickens could live out their entire natural lifespan, but we live in a world where that is unfortunately not the case. I would be happy just having a few pet hens and eating eggs so long as they laid and then letting them have a happy and healthy life after that.
I will say though, that being as the reality is that people eat eggs, the first thing that needs to change is how the birds are treated in the poultry industry. Our laying hens here have a spacious pen with an outdoor run and nesting boxes to lay their eggs in. They are not fed commercial feed and I let them out into the yard to catch bugs and eat grass. It’s important to me that they have a good life and are treated with love and respect. I know that there are many farmers out there who feel the same. The problem is that those farmers struggle to keep their business running, because there is less money to be made in many ways when you treat your animals ethically. I feel it is so much about efficiency and production, that the fact that these are living creatures is very easily forgotten.
I respect your choice to leave eggs out of your diet. Good for you for taking a stand for what you believe in.
By: eelhsa on August 21, 2011
at 2:27 pm
Thank you for your comments eehlsa and it is so wonderful to hear that your chickens have such a nice home and is sounds like you really do care about them. And you are correct, efficiency and money gets in the way of people remembers that they are dealing with life. Thanks again!
By: Debbie on August 21, 2011
at 8:30 pm
The egg thing is one reason why I can never declare myself vegan. It is still a debate I have with myself in my head. I am having trouble wrapping my head around what is wrong is say I have chooks in my backyard? Where I know I treat them well, let them roam, and they are un-fertilised. What would be wrong about that? I get the whole industry and even family farm things. But what if it is in front of my very eyes and I know that there is no harm or slaughtering of males etc?
By: SC on June 27, 2012
at 3:06 am
I think everyone needs to make the decision that is right for them. For me I have a few reasons why I don’t want eggs even from well treated chickens. The most obvious one is that at some point the chicken will no longer be able to provide eggs. What happens then? Are they killed? I don’t want to be a part of that. But I do understand your point. If the chicken is well cared for then the argument is a bit more complicated.
By: Debbie on July 1, 2012
at 2:04 pm