VEGANISM
Roosters: The Elephant in the Chicken House
Read this if you think backyard eggs are ethical and cruelty-free
It’s an iconic scene: the serene country garden, resplendent with glorious blooms, lush shrubbery and a verdant lawn on which chickens peck about, scratching at the ground and enjoying the sun in carefree avian bliss. The classic image of backyard egg production.
During my four decades of vegan advocacy, one response I’ve heard time and time again to the problem of suffering and exploitation inherent in the egg industry is, “I only eat local, free-range, backyard eggs”.
This is a common stance taken by vegetarians especially, who want to avoid causing suffering but don’t want to go vegan. It’s a prevalent myth that the small-scale chicken keeper selling a few eggs from their doorstep is not causing any harm. Eggs are viewed as a by-product of keeping hens, which would only go to waste if not sold.
One of my neighbours keeps hens in her back garden and has a sign at the front of her drive that reads “FREE RANGE EGGS”. People travel from miles around to drop a few coins in her ‘honesty box’ and take a carton or two of eggs away with them.
Folks go out of their way to buy from her because they genuinely care about the…
