Why don't vegans eat eggs?

[Floowho]

This is a genuine question. As someone who has kept chickens in my garden as a hobby, during the late Spring, Summer and early Autumn my chickens lay an egg every day. If I didn't eat these eggs that were laid, what was I supposed to do with them? If I left them in a nest box, one of the chickens would become broody and sit on the eggs, then lose condition because of it. Perhaps I am posting on the wrong board, and I am not looking to goad anybody, your life choices are your life choices. One of these chickens is still alive 8 years later, so she must have a good life, though she no longer lays. I am totally against battery farming, and will pay however much more for eggs that are as free range as possible.

Because they are chicken periods...

And mosquitos, and flies.

Male chicks are killed (in not a very nice way).

This leaves the females to lay. There is no natural way to have female chickens without this part of the industry. The vegans I know would not, regardless of the happy life of one female chicken, eat an egg.

Thank you disappointedOne

It's an interesting one - you might liken chicken eggs to windfall fruit I suppose - no use to anyone except for someone who might eat them.

But I think it's because it's the whole act of keeping the chickens that's against the ethics of a vegan

I became a vegetarian 2 years ago after watching "Vegucated" on Netflix. I know of at least two other people I mentioned the film to who went on to become veggies/vegans.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegucated

Because they are chicken periods...

??? this is a joke, surely?

I totally understand why someone wouldn't want to eat meat, eggs, milk. Personally, as long as the welfare standards are good for the animals that produced meat I buy I don't have an issue. (I don't eat eggs or dairy anyway)

One thing I really don't understand though, is refusing wool and honey? Sheep need to be sheered otherwise they get overgrown wool, overheat and die. Bee keepers are helping to slow down, or prevent, the extinction of bees. It seems more ethical to me to fund and consume these two products? Any explanations?

If you are opposed to the killing of animals, then milk and eggs are out of the question. The male animals (and in case of cows the superfluous female calves) are routinely killed. With chickens, the male chicks are in most cases killed early as they cannot be used for meat - there is the double-use chicken where you can use the roosters for meat, but that's it - they get the axe eventually.

Possibly one might be able to trigger lactation in a cow with artificial hormones instead of keeping her pregnant, but would that be ethical?

You don't notice this if you, as an individual, buy some hens, but it happens. Preventing hens from laying eggs with male chicks might be possible, but so far, they haven't even managed the cow-calf-only goal.

A more interesting question would be why vegans don't eat honey. Honey is still exploitation of bees, as you steal their food, but as the honey is then replaced with sugar, it is not, strictly speaking, killing any bees. (I hope. Though if you read how good for health honey is supposed to be ... well, it speaks for itself.)

Mostly not joking

Vegans generally wish to avoid causing unnecessary death and/or cruelty to animals. Take note of this phrasing- humans are animals! It is not necessary to eat eggs, but it is necessary to kill parasites on one's children, as leaving blood-sucking parasites on one's children constitutes unnecessary suffering.

In addition, very few people, including vegans, believe all life is equal. It is quite obvious to most pet owners that the dog is a more sophisticated being than its fleas, which is we one and all, vegan or not, break out the fleaspray and the flea-drops and the visit from Rentokil to fumigate the house.

This is also just a question, isn't there animal products in lots of things, i.e.. paint?

Why / how do chickens lose condition when they brood on an egg?

Why does anyone give a shit what vegans do? Seriously, how does it affect you? (I ask this as a vegetarian who has been asked to explain herself zillions of times over the years, and really doesn't understand why people give a shit)

I think dairy is crueller than meat production. To have a calf as often as you can manage which is taken away, and if it's male it's killed - so wasteful.

Factory farming is appalling. Although I'm not as informed about the science as I used to be (when I was married to a veggie activist!) the quality of nutrients in factory farmed meat is very low, because the animals aren't eating the foods they are designed for. To the point where we were feeding cows the diseased remains of other cows.

Despite all this I am not a veggie. I should try it again.

floppity they don't go out and eat/drink as they should. If they are actually hatching the eggs, then ok. You just turf them out once a day. If the eggs are not fertile, they are sitting needlessly.

This is also just a question, isn't there animal products in lots of things, i.e.. paint?

Yes. There is thus a thriving industry in producing versions without animal ingredients.

wow imogen that was a bit defensive.

The OP was curious so she asked! I think many people are happy to share their thoughts on why they choose certain things, as evidenced by this thread.

I kept hens as a child. When one hen went broody my dad allowed me to let it incubate the eggs, just the one time. Well they hatched and we got three hens and three cocks. I refused to listen to my dad when he told me I had to take the cocks to market and sell them because I knew they'd be killed and eaten. My dad warned me what might happen. Well they grew and began to fight over the hens. One cock bit the comb off another and it bled to death. Horrible, I held it as it bled to death. Very hard lesson learned and I understand why vegans don't eat eggs - you cannot keep hens for eggs without the 'surplus' males being killed in some way, shape or form. Just not possible. I guess the most enthical thing you could do is keep rescued battery hens.

I don't see it as "giving a shit", I see it as being curious. And I'll warrant there's a fair few vegans who would take delight in the discussion lest someone else decides to become one.

They are chicken periods though aren't They?

What about the headlice?

Are people on this thread being deliberately obtuse? I'm an avid meat eater but even I can understand that vegans just don't believe in keeping or using animals for our own consumption and that doesn't just apply to eating meat, it includes any animal product, even honey.

They're not technically chicken periods but chicken ovulation.

When I hear the word "obtuse" I always think of The Shawshank Redemption