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BACKYARD CHICKENS ARE NOT ETHICAL

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2.7K views 58 replies 15 participants last post by  thenarcissus  
#1 ·
there is no ethical consumption of animals/animal products. stop trying to justify addictions to flesh and secretions.

rant over : )
 
#13 ·
yes, but we don't have to eat their eggs :]
eggs from backyard hens should be left alone to avoid stressing the hens and also to allow them to consume the eggs to replenish the calcium that they lost
 
#26 ·
So I have a friend who has backyard chickens that she rescued but no rooster. So the eggs, that these chickens just lay cuz that’s what they do, go unfertilized which means they won’t produce a chick if left alone. In fact, if left alone, the eggs’ll just rot. I help my friend not have a backyard of rotting eggs and I get eggs free of hormones in my fridge.
I don’t see anything unethical about that.
Also, let’s be honest, the real truth is that there no ethical consumption under capitalism. Participating in fast fashion creates slave labor, buying anything with plastic will eventually end up in an ocean or river somewhere, eating avocados and almonds and such lead to over farming of our beautiful earth, a literal rape of the land.
We can’t change it all by ourselves but we can help little by little. For example, having a metal straw in your bag instead of getting a plastic one. Not buying clothes off Shein. Getting backyard chicken eggs from a friend who treats her chickens well as opposed to buying the cheapest ones in the grocery store.
So do what you can where you can and don’t judge someone who can’t; we don’t know what people are going through.
 
#27 ·
So I have a friend who has backyard chickens that she rescued but no rooster. So the eggs, that these chickens just lay cuz that’s what they do, go unfertilized which means they won’t produce a chick if left alone. In fact, if left alone, the eggs’ll just rot. I help my friend not have a backyard of rotting eggs and I get eggs free of hormones in my fridge.
I don’t see anything unethical about that.
Also, let’s be honest, the real truth is that there no ethical consumption under capitalism. Participating in fast fashion creates slave labor, buying anything with plastic will eventually end up in an ocean or river somewhere, eating avocados and almonds and such lead to over farming of our beautiful earth, a literal rape of the land.
We can’t change it all by ourselves but we can help little by little. For example, having a metal straw in your bag instead of getting a plastic one. Not buying clothes off Shein. Getting backyard chicken eggs from a friend who treats her chickens well as opposed to buying the cheapest ones in the grocery store.
So do what you can where you can and don’t judge someone who can’t; we don’t know what people are going through.
i went in detail in above posts about why taking eggs from backyard hens does in fact harm the hens, even under the highest level of care and love. so if you don't see anything unethical about it, please read those.

agreed that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, and that everyone should do what they are able to do! but for most people, it is simple to just. not consume eggs, no matter where they come from. the most ethical option is always to do the least harm, and in this case, not eating any egg is the least harm.
 
#36 ·
Tbh I'm vegan and will eat eggs from properly cared for backyard chickens. Chickens 9 times out of 10 will just ignore their eggs until they rot and explode, you kind of have to remove the eggs unless it's a brooding female. They have to be removed either way, so you might as well eat them and make sure nothing is wasted. I've spent many summers on farms where they had a very limited food budget/income, and I personally cared for their chickens myself. I saw firsthand how little the birds care about their eggs, it's almost comical. I've eaten eggs in those circumstances, there weren't many other non meat options around for protein, and I had to do really hard physical work on the farm without my body giving out
 
#37 ·
i don't think this is necessarily wrong. it's a matter of necessity tbh. if you truly have no other option and are doing your best to reduce harm, that's what really matters.
but if someone has other options than taking eggs from their backyard hens, that's when i believe its unethical.
good on you for caring for those chickens, i'm sure they were well off in your care :]
 
#39 ·
"it is unethical to take from animals that are unable to consent"
it's unethical to sheer sheep too? or should you feed them their wool? should i not brush the fur off my cat when she sheds? is it unethical to pick up my dog's poop when he would rather eat it? is it unethical to collect the feathers that fall off my birds? how far are we going with this?
 
#41 ·
sheep produce an excessive amount of wool because of human interference. otherwise, they would produce the just-right amount of wool to protect themselves. the wool industry is incredibly more unethical than you may think, and i can go more into detail of that if you'd like. it's unethical to raise animals simply for the purpose of commodification.

brushing animals is different, as you are not exploiting the animal to profit.

feces is a byproduct that is miles different from eggs as we have not selectivity bred dogs to poop more than natural so that we could profit. providing a clean environment to pets is necessary, therefore you'd clean up their waste. eating it is harmful, so you'd remove it, same way i wouldn't let my dog eat a grape.

feathers are once again, a natural byproduct. clean them up. don't commodify it.

no animal naturally evolved to need human interference to survive. that was done through selective breeding and genetic manipulation. so there is a difference in the situations you described. it's a matter of ethics, and doing what is right and natural for the animals.