There are some things that you cannot be partial, for example, you cannot be partially pregnant or partially faithful to a spouse. You either are or are not. I found the argument about manure quite interesting because yes, that was derived from an animal but is often necessary for utilizing for other food sources such as vegetables and fruits. In a sense then, every vegan has trace amounts of animal waste in them. However, horses and cows must poop, it doesn’t exploit them to take their feces away so I understand why the argument goes back to the ethics of consuming eggs and whether it is exploitive. I look at it like this, if human beings were not there to meddle in the life of animals what would happen? Most likely that egg would be fertilized by a rooster, but the animal feces would naturally fertilize the ground to increase the seed’s development into that of a plant.

So, looking at it from all points of few, Stephanie is correct, sorry guys, you cannot be a vegan and eat eggs. That being said I am a vegetarian and enjoy eggs and milk and am okay with that title. If I decide one day I am not okay with this then I would have to cut out these animal products and only then call myself a vegan.

If I supplement a hen’s diet with calcium and do not harvest all her eggs on the same day does that reduce the cruelty for a hen I have no intention of eating? I also want to breed my own flock of chickens to avoid the culling of male chicks. Should I also give up the consumption of honey out of consideration for the bees?

Hi James,
Condolences about your hen. From your comment, you seem like a wonderful hen owner and take great care of your rescue flock. One can still take great care of their animals and not be vegan. It’s simply the definition of the word: not eating food derived from animals or using animal products. This is a question I’ve been asked multiple times which is why I wrote it out. Not everyone’s situation from how they got their hens is the same but the definition of a vegan is. So yes, you’re a compassionate person who treats your animals with the utmost care, but no, your eggs are not vegan since they came from an animal. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; you just don’t fit the definition of a vegan. I’ve heard people say “I’m a vegan but eat fish.” or “I’m a vegan but eat honey, etc.” If you want to eat your flock’s eggs, go for it. But there’s no need to label yourself a vegan and add confusion. A person in your situation would be someone who eats mainly plant-based except for adding eggs into their diet or an ovo-vegetarian.

I have given her some pain meds and treat her with affection and dignity. I’m often googling chicken health and ethics related topics in a last ditch attempt to save them. Hence, landing on your page.

She is a rescue hen, like all of our small flock.

Rather than being slaughtered, an amazing local charity rescues 1,000’s of brids every few months destined for such a fate after enduring a horrendous early existence.

They live free range with our family and it is one of life’s greatest joys to see them grow back their feathers and learn to be chickens in the relative wild.

Like a previous commenter, I don’t disagree with your definition of veganism. I dont agrees with the statement “There isn’t a huge unadopted chicken population”. Literally millions of potentially adoptable hens are slaughtered each week! There is no bigger unadapted population among any species in the world.

None of our hens are forced to produce eggs (taking them away has zero impact of their egg laying btw as per previous comments). I am relieved for any of them who stop laying, knowing the toll that the selective breeding/ modification and excessive laying has taken on their bodies.

They do, however, lay and we do eat their eggs (as well as feeding plenty back to them for the positive reasons you mention). The eggs are an amazing gift… One of the most perfect food sources for human consumption. The bioavailability of nutrients and fats in an egg are miraculous!

I would argue our eggs are ‘beyond vegan’. A byproduct of an act of compassion. Can you disagree?

Thanks for the additional info, Shelby. That selective breeding seems to be the case with most animals that have been bred for human food usage. The industry has produced broiler chickens and broad-breasted white turkeys who end up being in severe pain the last parts of their lives due to the unnatural amount of weight they put on making it hard for them to walk. For egg-laying hens, the act of laying eggs is still depleting to their bodies, especially calcium, and can cause health issues for the hen.

This statement “ The chicken wouldn’t naturally lay all those eggs unless they’re being taken from them” is not entirely true. The hen must be broody for this to occur. When a hen becomes broody, the hen will lay only a clutch of eggs then stop laying to sit on them, hatch them, and raise them and once again start laying another clutch. Most chicken breeds today don’t ‘go broody’ and will continue to lay eggs whether they are taken or not.