What do vegans do with chicken eggs?

[BearSwampChick]

If you don't want to sell your eggs and the food bank can't take them, take them to your local Goodwill store and offer to the patrons there. I had an abundance of green beans one summer and wasn't able to can them, so I bagged them up and went to Goodwill. I just walked in and announced to a few folks standing around that I had fresh green beans. You should have seen their faces light up and I didn't take any home. I hate waste, too, and I think it's a shame that if you don't eat your eggs that you would just throw them away when there are people who are hungry for good, fresh food.

 

[shell3]

I realise this thread is old but I'm new to this site and searched vegan to see what peoples opinions are, I've been vegetarian for 19 yrs and vegan for 10 of those.
I guess it depends why you choose veganism and where your ethics lie, for me I'm vegan for the animals as I want nothing to do with animal cruelty . I recently rescued 3 chicks and have made a nice home for them, they will be safe and loved all their lives with me and I have no rooster so if and when they lay eggs I will eat them and still be vegan, I still would not eat anything shop bought ect containing eggs as the same rule applies. If I acquired a rooster again I would not eat the eggs my chickens laid as they have the potential to live but if they have no purpose and would otherwise be wasted it makes sense to use them. If my chickens never laid an egg they would still be loved as much.

 

[Nsampsel]

I realise this thread is old but I'm new to this site and searched vegan to see what peoples opinions are, I've been vegetarian for 19 yrs and vegan for 10 of those.
I guess it depends why you choose veganism and where your ethics lie, for me I'm vegan for the animals as I want nothing to do with animal cruelty . I recently rescued 3 chicks and have made a nice home for them, they will be safe and loved all their lives with me and I have no rooster so if and when they lay eggs I will eat them and still be vegan, I still would not eat anything shop bought ect containing eggs as the same rule applies. If I acquired a rooster again I would not eat the eggs my chickens laid as they have the potential to live but if they have no purpose and would otherwise be wasted it makes sense to use them. If my chickens never laid an egg they would still be loved as much.

I think this is the consensus of most vegans/vegetarians who DO eat eggs & drink milk. If the cow/chicken is going to produce it anyway, no point in wasting it.

 

[shell3]

As chickens will lay eggs regardless of wether they have a chance to hatch or not the logic is good however cows only produce milk for their young same as humans and if not calf was not present due to natural causes the cows milk would dry up naturally therefore I would not consider consuming milk.

 

[shell3]

Hope that last post didn't sound abrupt! Didn't mean it too but read it back and thought it might!

 

[Nsampsel]

I meant the excess milk. Cows actually usually produce way more milk than their calf requires and in the case of a "pet" cow who is well taken care of I wouldn't see a problem with using the excess.

 

[MrsWilson]

A vegan who wants chickens for pets not eggs could make a good home for "old" hens that are no longer laying...if people want to replace their older girls with new layers but don't have room to keep adding to the flock.

 

[sumi]

After seeing some pretty bad things going on on dairy farms, I'm not too keen on dairy either.
My DH had 4 cows and a bull when I met him. He let them do their thing, raise their calves, sold them after they were weaned. He never milked them. Their milk was only for their calves. People thought he was nuts!

 

[shell3]

As a mother my self I tend to agree , milk is for the babies but also see no actual cruelty in using the excess either as long as the cow is humanely milked (no machinery) . And good comment about the older hens, I will certainly be taking on any ex battery hens that come along. I only have the chicks as my sons school hatched them and the alternative was that they return to the farm, I thought I could give them a happier life so I consider them rescued chickens.

 

[cassie]

Just a comment on milking cows. I have milked a lot of goats and cows in my life. Using a milking machine is NOT cruelty. Whatever makes you think it is? In fact, a machine is a lot easier on the udder than a lot of people's hands. If a cow is in pain, she will not let her milk down and you won't be able to get a drop. Plus she will kick and wiggle and generally throw a fit. She won't just stand there, believe me. All the animals I have ever milked, both goats and cows, came into the barn willingly to be milked, and most of the time I used a machine. Besides, you cannot milk those really high producing Holsteins, those producing over 100 pounds per day, by hand. I had enough trouble with my Jerseys when the milking macine was down and they only gave about 40 pounds a day. A gallon of milk weighs about 8.6 pounds. And when I had my goat dairy, there was no way in the world would it have been possible for me to milk over 100 milk goats by hand by myself.