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Backyard eggs from own chicken not vegan

Eggs from own chickens - 8 reasons why vegans do not eat them

Why don't vegans eat eggs from their own hens? After all, the chickens have a good life, don't they? You probably already know, Why vegans do not eat eggs from factory farming. But what is actually wrong with eggs from happy hens that live on your own farm? Admittedly, this is a much-discussed topic that rarely leads to a common denominator, because the animals are already much better off than in extreme conditions. Factory farming.

Nevertheless, I would like to present eight reasons why I think you should not consume eggs from happy hens in your own garden. Let's go!

In advance already a short Overview for you:

  1. Buying a chicken supports the egg industry system
  2. Chickens naturally lay significantly fewer eggs
  3. Eggs actually contain food for chicks
  4. It continues to be exploitation
  5. Chickens eat their own eggs
  6. Excessive egg production endangers the hen
  7. Chicken owners often kill their animals when their "performance" declines
  8. Backyard eggs are also cholesterol bombs
  9. It is easier to change a habit if you give it up completely

Why don't vegans eat eggs from their own farm?

The "backyard eggs" (english: backyard eggs) may be significantly more animal-friendly and vegans often come to the point where they ask themselves "what exactly is so bad about it?". After all, there is often regional food, the animals usually have free range and can interact socially with other animals and people on their own property. Nevertheless, there are certain aspects that are not compatible with the vegan lifestyle are compatible.

So let's not take too long and get straight to the point. As a vegan, I refrain from eating eggs from my own farm for the following reasons, which are explained in a nutshell.

1. because buying the chicken still supports the egg industry

When we buy the chicken from a farmer or breeder, we are supporting the egg industry, in which Chicks shredded or gassed and laying hens are killed as soon as they become "unproductive". This is not in the spirit of veganism.

But let's say we rescue a chicken from a slaughterhouse or take it from a farm free of charge: what's wrong with that?

2. because chickens naturally lay significantly fewer eggs

The Bankiva Chicken, the wild ancestral form of the domestic chicken, only lays around 10 - 15 eggs a year.₁ "Modern" laying hens produce However, more than 300 eggs a year₂ because we see them as high-performance machines and have bred them for this performance.

We also simply take the egg away from the chicken - and for this very reason it lays the next one a short time later. It would therefore be more animal-friendly to allow the unfertilized egg to incubate until the animal itself realizes that it is not fertilized. As a result, it will leave the incubation site and not constantly have the feeling that it has to replace it immediately.

3. because chicken eggs are actually the food of chicks

The proteins, fat, carbohydrates and other nutrients in an egg are not made to be eaten by us humansbut serve as food for unborn chicks. Another reason to avoid eggs from your own chickens.

4. because it is still exploitation

Exploitation of chickens also from own breeding

In most cases, chickens raised on the farm are still a means to an end. It is still for profit, albeit on a small scale. Most people want to eat the eggs and sell them or intend to give the animal to a butcher at some point. Whether you take money for it or not - or eat it all yourself or not: in such cases, the chicken becomes treated like a resourcewhose value in life depends only on what it does for us. But this Animals are sentient beings and deserve the right to freedom, just like us humans. This is one of the main reasons why vegans do not eat eggs from their own chickens.

5. because chickens eat their own eggs

The Egg production costs the chicken valuable nutrients - especially when it lays so many eggs! The vitamins and minerals from the contents, and not least the calcium from the eggshell itself, are extremely important for the animal's health. That's why laying hens often eat their eggs themselves to get the nutrients they need. In this way, the eggs from your own farm are not "wasted" either, if you refrain from eating them.

6. because excessive egg production endangers the life of a hen

When chickens produce eggs, they consume nutrients to do so. The lack of nutrients such as Calcium (for the eggshell) is the main reason why animals so often suffer from osteoporosis and bone fractures. Corresponding deficiencies can also be a life-threatening problem for chickens in their own housing. For example, if an egg gets stuck in the chicken's cloaca. The egg yolk can also settle in the body and lead to infection with E. coli bacteria and thus to peritonitis. If left untreated, the latter can lead to death over time.₃

For these reasons, as a true chicken lover, it is better to feed their eggs back to the animals and ensure that they lay as few eggs as possible.

Notice: A small hormone implant makes it possible to stop chickens from laying eggs so that they can retain their nutrients. Even if this seems unnatural, it counteracts the high performance of the animals that we humans have trained them to achieve.

7. because many owners of backyard chickens also kill their animals

Many chicken owners (whether on a large or small scale) kill their animals as soon as they eat their own eggs instead of letting them absorb the nutrients. This is also an indication that animals are being killed primarily for egoistic motives as it is killed as soon as it no longer fulfills its "purpose". However, the fact that this behavior of laying hens is beneficial to the health of the animal should actually please even the most profit-hungry people in the long term.

8. because even EGGS FROM HAPPY CHICKENS are CHOLESTERINE BOMBS

Eggs from own breeding in the garden

Proteins, of course! But the eggs with 417 milligrams per 100 grams the most cholesterol-rich food in the world is something that advertising likes to hide from us.₄

Why should we eat something that is not vital and endangers our health? Just out of habit? Who Prevent heart disease should really avoid eggs altogether, regardless of whether they come from caged, free-range or home-reared sources.

9. because it is easier to break a habit if you do without it altogether.

As a vegan, I don't eat eggs from factory farming or from my own farm because it is much easier for me not to make an exception. Because if I were to continue consuming eggs from my own farm, the temptation would be much greater when visiting a restaurantto eat a dish with eggs, even if they don't come from happy chickens. At least the latter cannot be determined with absolute certainty, as would only be the case if the chickens were kept at home.

So vegans also do without eggs from their own chickens

Simply because it is the Most animal friendly behavior is. A laying hen's life on a large plot of land may already be much better than in the cramped, dark cages with thousands of her fellow hens and only a few centimetres of space. But it can be even better! Why shouldn't we prefer that? The animals have done nothing to us and deserve to live a truly happy and long life.

I hope that in this article I have been able to give you a deeper insight into the motives of vegans for not eating eggs from happy, home-raised chickens.

Do you have any questions or suggestions about eggs from your own chickens? Then write me a comment!

Stay animal-friendly,

Christoph from CareElite - Plastic-free living

PS.: Look you with pleasure still something in the animal welfare blog. You can also find out there, Why I live vegan at all. Have fun!

References:
₁ Center for Old Domestic and Farm Animal Breeds e.V.: Bankiva chicken, available at https://www.arche-warder.de/tiere/bankivahuhn. [13.07.2021].

₂ Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL): Neue Wege für mehr Tierwohl - Ein Magazin des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, 1st edition, January 2016, p. 7.

₃ Surge Campaigning C.I.C: Why don't vegans eat backyard eggs?, available at https://www.surgeactivism.org/backyardeggs. [13.07.2021].

₄ Deutsche Herzstiftung e.V.: Cholesterol - How can heart patients protect themselves?, available at https://www.herzstiftung.de/cholesterin.html. [07.05.2020].

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Christoph Schulz

Christoph Schulz

I'm Christoph, an environmental scientist and author - and here at CareElite I'm campaigning against plastic waste in the environment, climate change and all the other major environmental problems of our time. Together with other environmentally conscious bloggers, I want to give you tips & tricks for a naturally healthy, sustainable life as well as your personal development.

13 thoughts on “Eier von eigenen Hühnern – 8 Gründe, warum Veganer sie nicht essen”

  1. Dear Christoph 🙂

    Thank you so much for your great posts! I live for almost 10 years vegetarian and am now for some time to eat vegan 🙂 I still keep 5 chickens, Gitti, Wanda, Hedwig, Bibi & Cordula ❤️ which I have really grown very close to my heart and which I still want to give a nice retirement. Do you have any idea how I can deal with the eggs? I don't really need them anymore, should I just leave them in the nest? Will they then eventually stop laying more and more?

    Thank you very much and all the love,

    Sabrina

    1. Hi Sabrina! I think that's just great 🙂 I'm no expert there and can only rely on the facts that I have. In the end, Gitti, Wanda, Hedwig, Bibi & Cordula can just eat their own eggs themselves. I assume they will lay less and less if you just leave them in the nest. Have others in the community had experience with this 🙂 .

      Many greetings and best wishes to your chickens,
      Christoph

      1. Please have a look at the comment below, it is the same with me. If I leave the eggs lying, they go moldy.
        So in your opinion I should let food go to waste with absolutely no reason....
        I really don't like your attitude in this regard.

        1. Hi Luca! You can of course eat them before they go moldy. I had not yet said anything about this, so you do not know my attitude yet 😉.

          In the end, it's about the chickens being able to do what they want and not exist for the purpose of us eating their eggs.

          Many greetings
          Christoph

  2. Hi there!
    I have been vegetarian for over fifty years, and vegan for about six. However, I DO eat eggs from my own chickens and ducks. They are all rescues, and have a wonderful life. They show no interest in consuming their own eggs, and if I leave eggs in the nest they carry on laying.........
    Best wishes
    Sheila Kennedy.

    1. Cristoph, how about you answer this comment ??? You want us to waste food the animals won't even consume when you consider that thousands of animals die when plowing a field of vegetables ?! You can not be serious because if you are your double standards are beyond lost.

      1. And here, too. I dont' delete comments brother. 🙂

        There is no double standard. I don't want you to waste eggs, I want you to respect the animals will, that's all.

        And as I said in the other comment: you can eat eggs if the hens are not eating them by themselves. But I personally won't, because it's the menstruation of an animal. They are not serving us as a food source. Neither there body parts, nor their eggs.

        Best regards,
        Christoph

    2. its so pathetic that this guy is deleting almost every criticism there is... What is this, I was literally just saying the same thing you said and he deleted it because he cant endure another opinion than his. Disgusting

      1. Hey Luca, me again. I don't delete the comments, I just can't check the comments every single day. 🙂

        I love criticism, it develops the world. You'll find the answer on your other comment.

        Cheers, Christoph

  3. We have been keeping chickens for 11 years. If we do not collect the eggs, they lay more and more and would clog the nest. Have we actually tried every now and then. Basically, you have to collect them every day. Otherwise they would go bad. And not eating them at all would be absolutely a waste. Sometimes we still give the chickens the eggs by cracking them open and putting them in a bowl. And when we eat them, we always give them the egg shell (after boiling it, otherwise it would be unhealthy). They also do not eat the eggs by themselves.
    The myth that they then simply lay less I can absolutely refute. Have also tried it with artificial eggs. They still continue to lay. Chickens lay less only when they are molting, it is cold or when they have a mite infestation, which can no longer happen in our new chicken coop.
    We bought our chickens from a family farm or we have two rescued chickens.
    The chickens have a long and beautiful life with us and are not slaughtered. I see them more as my "pets" and could never inflict suffering on them let alone kill them. In our house they all die a natural death or else (in the old barn) when they were torn by foxes or by a bird of prey. They have a very good and new chicken coop and a huge property just for themselves. Just because "many owners kill their animals" does not mean that all of them do it.
    I do not exploit them at all. I keep them mainly because they are wonderful animals. They are incredibly intelligent. If we don't manage to process the eggs, we give them away to relatives or friends. Sometimes we do get money afterwards but it is invested in the chickens. After all, the food is not free ;).
    I live vegan for 5 years, but still eat the eggs. Even if it is a menstrual product. You do not have to eat it :).

    1. Hello Nalacxc,

      thank you for the explanation, which I can fully understand. I'm glad your chickens have a great life until they eventually die a natural death.

      And if they don't eat the eggs themselves, they certainly have no need for them - or enough alternative food.

      However, it must be said that this idyllic way of keeping chickens is of course not the rule and therefore there are good reasons not to eat eggs. If you consume eggs exclusively from your chickens, that is of course a beautiful thing.

      Best regards,
      Christoph

  4. Hello Christoph,

    thank you for your interesting contribution.
    I have been living vegan for half a year and I am still absolutely convinced of it. To do something good, I am currently considering rescued chickens from factory farming to take in my garden.
    Of course, I would provide the best possible care for the hens and offer them as large and varied a run + coop, etc. as possible.
    The only question is what I do with the eggs. Since these are spent laying hens, they probably still lay 4-5 eggs a week, which from experience (from other keepers) is not prevented by leaving eggs in the nest. Often, the chickens probably also make no effort to eat their own eggs, so that they would actually simply mold and you would have to dispose of them.
    And sure - of course the chickens can live happily with me for the rest of their lives, regardless of their laying performance.

    I understand your reasoning, however, in my example I see no real reason not to consume the eggs.

    But I am very happy to be proven wrong! The topic currently occupies me very much and I have not yet formed my final opinion about it.
    Would you actually rather let eggs go moldy than eat them or give them to family/acquaintances because of me?

    I would be very happy to receive a reply!

    Greetings Jakob

    1. Moin Jakob,

      thank you for your feedback, input and opinion on the post.

      I think your idea is great and if you take them in as friends (like dogs and cats) and don't sell their (not self-eaten) eggs, which they inevitably lay because of their past, but give them away to Family & Friends, I don't see a problem there at all.

      Only I would eat them personally - simply because that does not fit to the vegan attitude to life and one out of habit perhaps also outside of the own four walls rather times again an egg is.

      By the way, I always have a hard time with the word "instruct". In the end, everyone decides for themselves what to do. I can only tell you how I would personally handle the situation.

      I wish you maximum success in your awesome endeavor and have a great time with your cackling friends 🙂 .

      Feel free to send me a picture when you have them with you. I always find that exciting.

      Best regards
      Christoph

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