Taking eggs is okay
Because it doesn't harm the chickens
This common misconception (perpetuated by the egg industry) hides the grim reality that of all the animals we exploit, egg laying chickens probably suffer the most. This is partly down to the simple fact that they're considered useful for longer than 'meat' animals and so suffer their illnesses and mistreatments for a greater period of time. Mainly though it's thanks to the staggeringly cruel (and standard) practices involved in egg production, practices that mean choosing any kind of eggs is far from an ethical choice.
You'll find some of the reasons eggs are particularly unethical below along with videos that might not be the easiest of viewing, but that anyone who considers eggs to be a harmless choice should really take the time to watch.
You'll find some of the reasons eggs are particularly unethical below along with videos that might not be the easiest of viewing, but that anyone who considers eggs to be a harmless choice should really take the time to watch.
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Male chicks are dropped into gas chambers or ground up alive.
Because there are two different, genetically-manipulated breeds of commercial chicken ('broilers' raised for meat and 'layers' raised for eggs), the males of the layer breed are deemed useless to the industry. They don't grow large or fast enough to be profitable for meat and of course being male they don't produce eggs.
The industry's horrifying solution to this dilemma is to toss six billion male chicks, alive, into giant grinding machines called 'macerators' each year. Other operations instead pour the chicks into gas chambers, with the
rest simply discarding them in plastic bins or bags where they are crushed, suffocate, or slowly starve to death.
The kicker here is that even people choosing 'cruelty-free' or 'free-range' eggs, and even those purchasing so called 'backyard chickens' to raise themselves are still supporting this mass extermination as all egg-laying chickens are born in these hatcheries, where the culling is standard practice.
The industry's horrifying solution to this dilemma is to toss six billion male chicks, alive, into giant grinding machines called 'macerators' each year. Other operations instead pour the chicks into gas chambers, with the
rest simply discarding them in plastic bins or bags where they are crushed, suffocate, or slowly starve to death.
The kicker here is that even people choosing 'cruelty-free' or 'free-range' eggs, and even those purchasing so called 'backyard chickens' to raise themselves are still supporting this mass extermination as all egg-laying chickens are born in these hatcheries, where the culling is standard practice.
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The US hatchery process
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The UK hatchery process
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Hens suffer terrible health defects due to constant and unnatural laying
Just like with cows and milk, many of us probably believe that chickens egg laying is a completely natural process with humans being the lucky beneficiaries of something that would be happening in the wild anyway.
The popular image of a farmer collecting freshly-laid eggs from his hens each morning invokes feelings of
rural tranquility and of nature working in balance with mankind. The actual reality however, could not be
more different.
In nature a chicken will ordinarily lay no more than twenty eggs in any given year and do so only at particular times of year. But commercial chickens (be they organic, free-range, backyard or factory farmed) have been genetically manipulated to lay up to three hundred eggs per year. In nature of course a chicken is also able to incubate the first eggs she lays until they hatch into chicks she can raise. But in farming, any egg she lays is quickly removed and so she's forced to lay another in its place, over and over again.
As you can imagine, this puts unbelievable strain on a chicken's body and causes numerous health problems including calcium and other mineral deficiencies, reduced lifespan, and the common issue of prolapse.
The popular image of a farmer collecting freshly-laid eggs from his hens each morning invokes feelings of
rural tranquility and of nature working in balance with mankind. The actual reality however, could not be
more different.
In nature a chicken will ordinarily lay no more than twenty eggs in any given year and do so only at particular times of year. But commercial chickens (be they organic, free-range, backyard or factory farmed) have been genetically manipulated to lay up to three hundred eggs per year. In nature of course a chicken is also able to incubate the first eggs she lays until they hatch into chicks she can raise. But in farming, any egg she lays is quickly removed and so she's forced to lay another in its place, over and over again.
As you can imagine, this puts unbelievable strain on a chicken's body and causes numerous health problems including calcium and other mineral deficiencies, reduced lifespan, and the common issue of prolapse.
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The animals are still brutally slaughtered within a fraction of their natural lifespan
It's a simple fact that there's no such thing slaughter-free animal agriculture and the egg industry is no exception. Due to the massive, genetically manipulated, output they endure it's generally little more than a year before a hens' egg production begins to slow and few live to see their second birthday. It's simply impossible for their bodies to maintain such unnaturally high output and so they are sent to slaughter and ground up into low-grade products such as chicken nuggets or pet food.
The actual lifespan of a chicken is around eight years, but even most of those lucky enough to be rescued by farm sanctuaries fail to reach that age thanks to their deliberately built-in health defects.
The actual lifespan of a chicken is around eight years, but even most of those lucky enough to be rescued by farm sanctuaries fail to reach that age thanks to their deliberately built-in health defects.
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Commercial chicken slaughter
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'Family farm' chicken slaughter
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Most egg-laying chickens live in deplorable conditions
Almost all chickens on the planet raised for egg production are kept in some of the worst conditions imaginable. Even cage-free or free-range hens tend to suffer terribly as these virtually meaningless labels were only created to alleviate the fears of consumers who are slowly becoming aware of the cruelty involved in egg production.
Most egg-laying chickens never see daylight, live on crippling wire or concrete floors, are often forced to live with dead cage-mates, may be covered with urine and faeces as it falls from the cages above, and suffer constant eye and throat burning from the high levels of ammonia in their 'barns'. It's also important to remember that even if we try and buy more 'humane' eggs at the supermarket, the majority of factory farmed eggs are actually present in the cakes, sandwiches and other ready-made foods we buy and at restaurants and food outlets.
Most egg-laying chickens never see daylight, live on crippling wire or concrete floors, are often forced to live with dead cage-mates, may be covered with urine and faeces as it falls from the cages above, and suffer constant eye and throat burning from the high levels of ammonia in their 'barns'. It's also important to remember that even if we try and buy more 'humane' eggs at the supermarket, the majority of factory farmed eggs are actually present in the cakes, sandwiches and other ready-made foods we buy and at restaurants and food outlets.
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The only surefire way to stop the immense cruelty inflicted on these animals is to simply avoid eggs and egg products completely (and as they're jam-packed with cholesterol anyway you'd be doing your health a favour
in the process). By cutting out these products the demand for the variety of great egg-free alternatives will continue to grow, as will the quality of options available, and so by finally turning our backs on eggs and egg-
based products we can start to draw a line under the unimaginable cruelties forced upon these misunderstood, intelligent and sociable animals.
in the process). By cutting out these products the demand for the variety of great egg-free alternatives will continue to grow, as will the quality of options available, and so by finally turning our backs on eggs and egg-
based products we can start to draw a line under the unimaginable cruelties forced upon these misunderstood, intelligent and sociable animals.
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- Further Viewing -
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Inside the egg industry
What's wrong with eggs?
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The 'cruelty-free' myth
The truth behind 'ethical' egg farming
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"Imagine if you discovered that your employer was planning to kill you as soon as
you reached retirement age so that he would not have to pay you retirement checks.
Would learning that he planned on killing you 'humanely' make it OK with you?"
Wendy Davison
you reached retirement age so that he would not have to pay you retirement checks.
Would learning that he planned on killing you 'humanely' make it OK with you?"
Wendy Davison
