To be pissed off over eggs?

[cricketmum84]

Ok I know this is totally a first world problem but I'm feeling rather pissed off today so this could be the last straw lol!

My DH went to the supermarket this morning and I had put "free range eggs" on the list. I'm a vegetarian, almost vegan but not quite given up cheese yet. I'm quite hot on animal welfare.

He came back from the shops with eggs from caged hens. Doesn't see anything wrong with this at all and says because I don't eat eggs I don't get a say. I say that I don't want eggs from caged hens in my house and I don't want my family contributing to the survival of that industry.

Am I just being a moody cow today or do I have a point??

I think that unless you are a vegan, commenting on the evils of battery hens is a tad hypocritical. Almost all meat has involved massive amounts of pain and torture to the animal, plus a huge amount of damage to the environment through pesticides, antibiotics and fertilisers. The dairy industry is particularly cruel and callous, dairy cows live a life of daily pain an humiliation, akin to the worst kind of torture humans could devise. How much pain a cow feels is debatable, but it is certain that they feel it to a degree.

Are you a vegan @dadshere ?

Free range just means they have access to the outside. They mainly choose to live inside even though they have the access because that's where the food, water and shelter are.

Free range means there is theoretical access to the outside. ie there has to be an opening. Sometimes the flocks are so huge, and the buildings they are housed in so big, that for an individual hen to make it through the melee to an exit is nigh-on impossible. There are also no legal requirements as to the quality of the 'outside' they can theoretically access. A flock can be up to 32,000 birds and they can be packed in at 9 birds per square meter. It's not always that they 'choose' not to go out.
However the flock could be much smaller, it varies hugely.
Organic eggs are from flocks with a maximum size of 200 and up to 6 birds per square metre. They must have continuous and easy access to outside and there are rules governing vegetation etc so there is some quality to the outdoors.
Imo if you can't have your own hens or access hens where you can see the quality of life is good, orgnanic is a better option. But there's still the ethical question of how the male chicks are disposed of.
I was lucky enough to get my eggs from a friend with rescue chickens for a good few years - and his girls were very free and happy, but am struggling to find a supplier I am happy with now.

sorry that's 2000 not 200 flock max organic

We love eggs because they are cheap and a good source of protein without buying crappy sausages, fish fingers etc.