Philosophical Vegan Forum

What do you think?

Are eggs from backyard rescued hens vegan?

Personally, if I had rescue hens and they were producing eggs, I wouldn't want to see them rot. But at the same time, I think they could be better served by giving them to neighbors (or selling them to neighbors at a lower cost than supermarket eggs, and put the money in a jar for the hens), to displace battery cage eggs. The opportunity cost of eating them myself would mean somebody else is eating eggs derived from cruelty.

However, I won't call somebody who has a rescue hen and eats the eggs non-vegan.


This has been a pretty big point of debate- even among vegans.

Where do you stand? Maybe we can start some internal discussion over this one.

Which position is really vegan? Or are there multiple valid views on this?

I would not eat them myself since that sounds a little gross. But I still think its vegan since its cruelty free.

yes wrote:I would not eat them myself since that sounds a little gross. But I still think its vegan since its cruelty free.

I know, right? Chicken menses. Not something I'm super interested in eating, knowing what it is and where it comes from.

Not that there's anything wrong with chickens in particular; I wouldn't eat human menses either. And not that there's anything "gross" or shameful about menstruation. ...It's just not something I see as food.

Well if you live in area that is inhabited by chickens then it would be ok. As long as you're not forcing the animal to live in your backyard, or produce, food.

I see no reason why it would be morally wrong to eat the eggs, and that's what the question should be about. They just lay the eggs and don't care about them—they have zero interest in them. That's why it also doesn't matter to me whether you let them rot or not, at least from the perspective of the hen (food waste is in general not a pleasurable thing). I agree with the idea that it's better to give them to people that normally would consume commercial eggs, thereby reducing animal suffering.

The discussion whether you're still allowed to can yourself a vegan seems bullshit to me. And I know some vegans are against it just because you do something that doesn't fit with the description of a vegan. I think this is very irrational way of seeing things. The label 'vegan' doesn't matter to me, it's all about reducing animal suffering.

Volenta wrote:I see no reason why it would be morally wrong to eat the eggs, and that's what the question should be about. They just lay the eggs and don't care about them—they have zero interest in them. That's why it also doesn't matter to me whether you let them rot or not, at least from the perspective of the hen (food waste is in general not a pleasurable thing). I agree with the idea that it's better to give them to people that normally would consume commercial eggs, thereby reducing animal suffering.

The discussion whether you're still allowed to can yourself a vegan seems bullshit to me. And I know some vegans are against it just because you do something that doesn't fit with the description of a vegan. I think this is very irrational way of seeing things. The label 'vegan' doesn't matter to me, it's all about reducing animal suffering.

Being vegan doesn't only pertain to animals suffering. It also include the enslavement of animals. If the chicken is being enslaved against it's will then it would be wrong to exploit it. If the chicken just so happens to lay an egg in your backyard without and human interference in why the chicken was laying the egg in the first place. Then I see no reason to not be able to eat the egg. Unfortunately most of us here live in a society where this does not occur often. A good example of where this would happen would be Switzerland.

brimstoneSalad wrote:What do you think?
Are eggs from backyard rescued hens vegan?

absolutely not.

Personally, if I had rescue hens and they were producing eggs, I wouldn't want to see them rot. But at the same time, I think they could be better served by giving them to neighbors (or selling them to neighbors at a lower cost than supermarket eggs, and put the money in a jar for the hens), to displace battery cage eggs. The opportunity cost of eating them myself would mean somebody else is eating eggs derived from cruelty.

We need to remove this idea that what comes out of animals body is food and ours to take or give away. If the egg was not viable, I would leave it with the hen and if abandoned, i would bury it. We need to encourage people to not think of eggs as food, because the more we enforce it, the more we encourage egg consumption as a whole.

However, I won't call somebody who has a rescue hen and eats the eggs non-vegan.

you would be wrong. Eating eggs is not vegan, regardless of the source.

Which position is really vegan? Or are there multiple valid views on this?

Seems pretty clear cut. Would you consider someone who has a rescued cow, and drinks the cows milk, vegan? What about if you had a rescued pig that died naturally and you ate their body? Still vegan? I don't think so.

Volenta wrote:The label 'vegan' doesn't matter to me, it's all about reducing animal suffering.

how is giving away, selling, etc, your chicken's eggs reducing animal suffering? You are essentially encouraging egg consumption as a whole when you participate in the economics of it. What about my cow/milk example above? What about the pig example?

Whats important in veganism is consistency. If you say you are against animal use/exploitation, and then sell animals or their secretions, that sounds pretty hypocritical to me.

If we used a human example, i think it may be more evident: Imagine this scenario: You are against child slave labour, and you start an organization to fight against it. In order fund your organization you acquire products that were made by child slave labour and sell it to the public. You can't rationally and morally consistently engage in the industry you are fighting against.

dan1073 wrote:Being vegan doesn't only pertain to animals suffering. It also include the enslavement of animals. If the chicken is being enslaved against it's will then it would be wrong to exploit it. If the chicken just so happens to lay an egg in your backyard without and human interference in why the chicken was laying the egg in the first place. Then I see no reason to not be able to eat the egg. Unfortunately most of us here live in a society where this does not occur often. A good example of where this would happen would be Switzerland.

Don't think there is a disagreement. When I say animal suffering, it includes the enslavement of animals since that is a form of suffering in my eyes.

TheVeganAtheist wrote:how is giving away, selling, etc, your chicken's eggs reducing animal suffering? You are essentially encouraging egg consumption as a whole when you participate in the economics of it.

It may decrease suffering since some people just aren't going vegan. But you're probably right about this one. I agree it does give the wrong impression.

TheVeganAtheist wrote:What about my cow/milk example above? What about the pig example?

In case of the cow:
- if the cow has calves, you let them take the milk
- if it is the case that the cow needs to be milked because it would otherwise cause them pain because the milk needs to get out (not sure this is (always) the case, but since they are bred to give much to much...), that would be the right thing to do
- there is no third option, since then you're causing unnecessary suffering (in the broad sense) and using it for economical benefit or taste

As for the pig:
I'm not sure it would be morally wrong to do so. Do you think it is? But I wouldn't eat it because it seems a disgusting thing to do—the aesthetic reason basically.

TheVeganAtheist wrote:Whats important in veganism is consistency. If you say you are against animal use/exploitation, and then sell animals or their secretions, that sounds pretty hypocritical to me.

Well, not sure I would ask money for the eggs... And I would certainly not sell the animals themselves. Who said I would?

TheVeganAtheist wrote:If we used a human example, i think it may be more evident: Imagine this scenario: You are against child slave labour, and you start an organization to fight against it. In order fund your organization you acquire products that were made by child slave labour and sell it to the public. You can't rationally and morally consistently engage in the industry you are fighting against.

If you're acquiring and selling products that were made by child slave labour, you would directly support child slave labour. The situation we are talking about—backyard rescued hens laying eggs without force or enslavement—is totally different.

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It probably is not vegan because veganism is more than just morality. You can still call yourself a 'moral vegan' as far I'm concerned. But like I said; don't care about the label.

It may decrease suffering since some people just aren't going vegan. But you're probably right about this one. I agree it does give the wrong impression.

that may be true, but thats irrelevant on how we should advocate. Not everyone is against human slavery, so should we find ways to make slavery better for those people who do not want to change? I don't think its our job as vegans to find better ways for people to do things we don't fundamentally agree with. Sending mixed messages is a big problem in the animal rights movement, and it is one reason why our population isn't growing faster.

In case of the cow:
- if the cow has calves, you let them take the milk
- if it is the case that the cow needs to be milked because it would otherwise cause them pain because the milk needs to get out (not sure this is (always) the case, but since they are bred to give much to much...), that would be the right thing to do
- there is no third option, since then you're causing unnecessary suffering (in the broad sense) and using it for economical benefit or taste

Im unfamiliar if cows actually need to be milked otherwise they can suffer pain. I would be in favour of stopping the rescued cow from having further children, as we need to curb domestication not continue its growth. Cows milk is calf food. If it doesn't function in that capacity, it should not be utilized for any other purpose.

As for the pig:
I'm not sure it would be morally wrong to do so. Do you think it is? But I wouldn't eat it because it seems a disgusting thing to do—the aesthetic reason basically.

- there would not inherently be anything wrong with it, except for the following issues:
If you sell the dead pig or eating it in front of others, you are encouraging the notion that dead animals are food stuff. When we look at an animal and see a meal, we start to objectify the animal as a thing and not as an individual with individual wants and needs. What should a non-vegan think if he/she saw a vegan eat a pig after saying that pigs are not food stuff and should not be used or killed?

Well, not sure I would ask money for the eggs... And I would certainly not sell the animals themselves. Who said I would?

- money was mentioned by someone else, but even if you didn't want money, even if you are giving away the eggs, you are supporting egg eating by the very act of giving them away. Im against dog fighting, and won't engage in it directly, and I would refuse to give a dog I found to someone who I suspected would use him in such a way. If you were to give the dog up to a dog fighting owner, you would be in some way accepting their use/treatment of the dog, even if you yourself did not actively participate in the event.

If you're acquiring and selling products that were made by child slave labour, you would directly support child slave labour. The situation we are talking about—backyard rescued hens laying eggs without force or enslavement—is totally different.

- im not suggesting they are equal, but rather there are common threads that can be linked. As long as we think of animals as production units, or food stuff, or ours to use as we see fit, the longer we will be entrenching these notions and working counter to a world were animal's right to life and freedom from human interference are considered important.