Answering the Question about Why No Eggs

I received a question in the comments from this post on information and making connections...

I keep seeing in your posts (and others like it) the consensus to give up eggs as well. I've been a vege for many years now (maybe 17yrs now) and I love eggs. But I've never had any guilt issues with buying eggs from free range farms. They don't harm anyone, the animals have good lives and the quality of the eggs are better. Rather than give up something which is a very good source of essential proteins etc., couldn't you just look into sourcing or using your own? Why the objection to (properly cared for) free range eggs?

I am very happy to answer this. I love discussion and to share our thoughts and perspective. I am going to talk some general answers and then my personal reasons.

There are many good reasons to give up eggs. There are health reasons (cholesterol and fat) and environmental reasons. There are many other readily available and much more healthful options for protein, so that is not really a good reason to me to keep eating eggs. There are also many other options for replacing eggs in recipes so I do not feel that they are needed there either.

In a better world, the eggs that hens lay would be naturally gathered and the hens would have lovely lives living outdoors, chasing bugs and having dust baths. I'm not going to go into the whole issue of keeping and managing the life cycles of animals, no matter how benign we may be as caretakers.

That is what free-range should mean.

However, almost all commercial eggs that are marketed as "free-range" or "cage-free" are not, especially here in the US. Not really. It is just a misleading marketing term. I feel that egg farms and the animals there go through more suffering than even animals raised for meat. The hens may not be crammed 7 to a wire cage the size of a file drawer they way most egg factory farms do. Instead they are crammed into airless, sunless buildings many times with their beaks and combs sliced off, little health care or even good food and water. Not to mention the abuse many factory farm workers do to these sensitive animals such as throwing, kicking, stomping on them, etc.

They are manipulated with lights and temperature to lay eggs year round until their bodies are totally spent. Their lifespans are a fraction of the 7 or so years a hen would live naturally. When they are not able to lay eggs anymore their bodies are ground up for lesser food sources like being fed to other chickens or dog/cat food.

Other reasons to not support the egg industry are the breeding practices. Hens are bred to produce and/or be meat. Many cannot even stand up under their own weight. Their bodies and legs become so deformed they cannot stand or walk. And when they drop to the ground or the floor of their cage, they are left to suffer and die. Workers throw them into trashcans, often still struggling to live, like rubbish.

Another "by-product" of the egg industry often overlooked, no matter how "humane", are the male chicks. From a purely statistical view about 50% of the chicks born will be male... Roosters. An egg company has no need for all of these millions of baby male chicks so what do they do? Well sometimes they throw them in to trashcans to suffer and suffocate. Sometimes they, as you can see here, throw them alive into giant grinders.

So to sum up the industry-related reasons, I think you should avoid eggs:

- Grinding up alive millions of baby male chicks
- Short suffering-filled lifespans
- Genetic manipulation
- No real free-range lifestyle
- No health care
- Physical abuse
- When they stop laying they are just killed

But let's say you find a farmer who does truly give his/her birds a free-range life? There are three questions you need to ask. 1) What happens to the hens they stop laying? 2) Where did he get the chicks from to start his flock? and 3) What happens to the male birds born when we wants to increase his flock?

#1
Will this person kill the hens when they stop laying eggs? Yes or No? How can you be sure?

#2
Did he order baby chicks from a breeder? Many people, even backyard chicken owners do this. This is just as bad. Animals are "produced" for this and males are still discarded. Many baby chicks die in transport. Still creating and contributing to suffering.

#3
What happens if he/she orders eggs to raise or decides to let his hens hatch their eggs? What happens if he gets a bunch of male chicks? It's hard to keep all of them in a small space. It can be done but males don't produce eggs so many farmers would not see the value in them... and kill them.

Isn't just easier to stop eating eggs or food with eggs in them? I think so!

And let me be clear, I am speaking this from the standpoint of someone who has 2 hens and could actually be eating eggs if I wanted too. But I don't. Mostly because I don't feel the need to any more.

Sure there is an ideal scenario. I think we have it actually.

We have two hens who were rescues. We didn't buy chicks or eggs to raise. We adopted them because they needed a home and we had the space and the ability to care for them. They live a natural life and will not be killed when they stop laying. They are not manipulated to keep laying in the winter through lights or temperature. They get the best food and health care we can give them. Our neighbors get probably the best eggs they'll ever find.

At the end of the day, for us, it's all about eliminating suffering, living lighter on the earth and living a healthy life. We aren't looking for loopholes. I think that consistency helps us and helps share what we stand for too.

I love to hear more from you and any other questions you may have.

Thanks!

A Change in Plans

So we've had another "change in plans". We're essentially cutting eggs out of our diet altogether.

Not that this is a big change. We're pretty much egg-free all winter. Most people don't recognize this but chickens, left to their natural cycles, do not really lay eggs during the winter. Unless they are artificially tampered with, as all commercial egg factories do, hens don't lay eggs when it is not feasible to have baby chicks around. Therefore, no eggs in the winter.

But it's spring again and the girls have started laying again. We know that our girls live in a cruelty-free, natural environment. We know they won't be killed when they stop laying. We know they were rescues and not bred just for us. So theirs are the only eggs we ate because they lay them regardless of what we do with them. And, as there is not a rooster around, these eggs would never become chicks.

(BTW, you know that's how it works, right? Eggs are part of the hen's reproductive cycle. Just like humans, they produce an egg no matter what. Only if it is fertilized does it become a chick. So many people have been surprised by this that I have to make sure to clarify.)

The hubby is really the only one who has been eating the eggs. I was never a huge fan anyways but after we became vegan I really saw no point in it, especially as I've had no problem working around them for baking. Well, he tried eating some recently and has found that they are bothering his stomach. His body has recognized, by being free of this animal product for several months, that it does not need them. So now they're out.

What are we going to do with the eggs that Meg and Gertie lay each day? We are going to share them with our friends. While I don't want to encourage egg consumption, I'm hoping these eggs can replace some of the purchasing of commercial eggs and spare, if only slightly, the millions of abused animals that are subjected to unspeakable cruelty in this industry.



While we're talking eggs, check out the giant egg that Meg laid the other day. The egg on the right is her typical egg. Crazy, huh?

Go Meggie!

First Signs of Spring

Just a quick note:

Even though the weather has been shifting from sort-of warm to rainy wet snow today, the early signs of Spring are here.... the hens have started laying again.

We didn't even notice it at first because the girls like to be sneaky. We have several bales of hay for the goats stacked up in the coop side of the building and covered with a large tarp. We thought we were discouraging the hens by covering the hay but nope! The sneaks had climbed up in there, made a hay nest and layed a few eggs. Even though their "nest" keeps getting disturbed as we use the hay for the goats, they're still using it.

We were surprised they got up under the tarp. I'd have thought they would have been scared of it, but I guess not.

So far we're getting an egg every other day which leads me to believe it's just one hen, probably Meg, who is laying.

We'll keep our eyes open.

Cooking without Eggs.

For many people transitioning to veganism eggs can be a sticking point, especially when it comes to baked goods. It's easy to take eggs out of the main part of your meal but baking is as much science as it is art. Ingredients are coupled in specific ratios to create specific reactions. It's less easy to improvise.



But once you understand the purpose of each ingredient in different types of recipes, it can be much easier to swap out the eggs for another less cruel (and healthier) alternative.

Remember folks - these are just ingredients! You can still have the chocolate cake, or muffins or whatever it is you are emotionally attached to.

What I find even more interesting is that eggless (and baking without dairy too) is not a new thing at all. Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents went through the WWII and Depression era where these ingredients were rationed so they had to create meals without using them.

Luckily we don't have these same problems but, just as many attribute the economic problems of the time to the fact that there was too much of everything, we're seeing the same thing but in terms of food options. Our health is suffering because we have food at every turn... and little of it good.

But let's get back to the purpose of eggs in baked goods. Eggs are generally used for 3 purposes: binding, moisturising and thickening. And there are may other (vegan) ingredients that can easily fill these requirements.

Depending on what the original purpose of the egg ingredient, you can use an egg replacement, vinegar and baking soda, ground flax seeds, pureed fruit, or silken tofu.

I've made:

Chocolate chip walnut cookies -



Blueberry pancakes -



Pumpkin pie -




... And tons more. There are a number of great cookbooks and online recipes. Heck, just search "eggless baking" and you are sure to find a ton of resources. The Joy of Vegan Baking is one of my new favorite cookbooks and she has a great overview on this information too.

Besides reducing the horrors of the egg industry, these replacements are healthier and much easier to keep on hand... and they're usually less expensive too.

Happy baking!

Eggs are Easy

We have been vegan for almost a year now. And one of the best things about it is answering questions and talking with people about how and what we eat. There are a lot of things we grow up being told - mostly because our parents or grandparents were told these "facts" by the governments or agencies whose only vested interest was in their own bottom line.

There are also a lot of things we are not told. Things that, once we learn about them, it seems so obvious we can't believe we never put the facts together. Things that, now that we know about them, we can't help but change how we act and how we think. Now that this knowledge has come through to us we can't help but share it because we think "If only we'd known sooner, we could have changed earlier. And surely others would want to know these facts too so they can make a change as well."

Things like this -

In the egg laying industry they throw away, crush and grind up all of the baby male chicks. Millions and millions of one or two day old fuzzy little chicks are piled and run through conveyors and then tossed down a chute alive to be ground to death just because the egg industry sees them as waste.

All so we can have an egg for breakfast.

Yeah, I can't abide that. I can't be a part of that. I can't support a system that thinks that's just a cost of doing business with no remorse or caring.

So for me, eggs are easy. Easy to give up.

And while we know there are people in transition into vegetarianism and veganism. Eggs seem simple and harmless to keep in (like dairy) but, in terms of overall suffering, in many ways the egg and dairy industries are worse than the meat industry. The numbers, the longer term daily suffering and the male chick "by-products" .

Many would say that I don't really have a right to speak against this as we have the option of eating eggs since we have Meg and Gertie. And yes, the hubby, does eat them at times. But I do not. Yes, we know they are cruelty free and our girls would never be harmed or killed if they stopped laying. But we also have friends who have chickens too. And I'm sure they take great care of them. So even if we didn't have our girls we could still get cruelty-free eggs.

But we wouldn't.

There isn't any point because we don't need them. For us it isn't about the fact that we can't get access to eggs but that we don't want them.

It really can be that simple.

Just let them go.

UPDATED -

We don't eat any of the eggs.  Here's why!

Choosing

In the winter, the hens don't lay eggs every day. In fact, after their Fall moult which was a few months ago, they have not really laid at all. But just as the winter solstice passed, Meg started laying again. She hasn't been having an egg every day but so far we have 4. Gertie isn't laying again yet, as far as I can tell.

One of the questions we a lot, now that we are vegan/vegetarian, is what do we do with the eggs from our girls.

Well... the simple answer is, we eat them.

Or, mainly the hubby does. I don't eat eggs a lot ever anyways. I mainly used them in my baking. But since I made the switch to a fully vegan diet right around the time they paused in their laying, I've been looking at substitutions for when I'm baking. So it hasn't been a big deal.

There are many reasons why people choose to become vegetarian or vegan. One of my main reasons is to avoid participating and supporting an industry that subjects animals to cruelty and torture. I don't need eggs (or meat or dairy) and I don't want it enough to make the animals pay that kind of a price. I just can't justify it any longer and I can't continue with it now that I'm aware of it.

As I mentioned before, our 3 chickens were rescued. We keep them because we like them and we like taking care of them. We aren't going to eat them and we didn't get them for the eggs. We aren't going to kill them or get rid of them when they stop laying - which could be tomorrow or years from now. The girls are going to lay eggs as a part of their natural cycle. We are not raising them for breeding chicks either. So, because we know where the eggs came from, how the hens are treated and what their future is, we feel comfortable eating the eggs. Outside of know that about any food, I try not to risk it.

Of course, we are lucky in that we are able to do this. If we were living in Florida still, or even another location here, this would be difficult to impossible. If that were the case, I do not forsee us eating eggs at all.

But we don't.

We live here. We have the girls (and Napoleon, of course). We do our best to take care of them and to avoid causing harm.

We also eat the eggs.

They Way It Should Be

Today is absolutely gorgeous out, here in North Carolina. My favorite weather of all - cool, clear and sunny. It was so nice that I couldn't resist staying out with the chickens this morning and letting them run around the yard a bit before I went in to make breakfast.

This is the life that chickens deserve. Being able to spread their wings, scratch on the ground, interact with one another, eat some fresh greens and hunt for bugs and worms.



I have extremely crappy video capabilities on my little digital camera. This was low-res on the original video and even worse now that it is uploaded to YouTube. So, I know, you can't really get a good view of them.

What you can hear (and sort of make out) is Napoleon and the girls walking around and Napoleon finding stuff then making his little coo-ing sound to call the girls over, letting them know he found something good for them to eat.

It also shows him running over to me as soon as I got closer to the ground because he wants to jump up on my lap. He loves me.





I haven't really discussed this much on any of the blogs but we have changed to being vegetarians. I have actually wanted this for a very long time but it can be hard when you live with someone who is not totally ready for the change, especially if they do most of the cooking.

But Napoleon's attack really brought the issue and the disconnect home and we were both ready for this. And I have to say, no diet change has ever been easier. Or made more sense.

We are not completely vegan. We still each cheeses and butter and, rarely, milk, as well as the eggs we get from our girls. The hubby still eats fish. I'm a bit of a seafood snob in general so I didn't eat much in the past unless I was within an hour of the ocean. In terms of the cheeses, most of what we get comes from a local goat dairy, so we are very familiar with how the animals are treated.

With all of the great produce out there as well as the huge surge in recipes, menu choices and prepared foods, eating vegetarian is amazingly easy. And once you get past the mindset that a meal needs to include meat it's been simple.

One of my biggest hurdles was the milk issue. I love cereal and eat it a lot, generally. I always have - ask my parents. If I wanted a simple dinner, that was what I ate. So I was I bit leery of the Soy/Rice milk products. But when we decided to make the change we thought we would give them a try. How bad could they be, right? And if we hated them, we'd just dump them down the drain.

Well, we tried the Silk Soy Milk and LOVED IT. Seriously, I couldn't get enough. We have now tried the chai and chocolate flavors too. I like to have a glass of the chocolate when I get home from work for a quick "snack". The hubby uses it in his hot tea in the morning and to make scrambled eggs. If you haven't tried it, you really should. It's a little sweet but yummy.

The two of us have slightly different reasons for doing this but, hey, as long as we're together on the end choices, I'm fine with that. We're just at the beginning (just 3 months or so in) but I've never felt better physically or emotionally. It's kind of exciting.

I'm trying to convince the hubby to do his own blog talking about the recipes he's making and the products we find and try. I hope I can get him to do it because I think it would help to have someone share this change from a very early step. A lot of the vegetarian blogs and writers and podcasters have been on this for a long time, which can be intimidating. We're still learning ourselves but we're enthusiastic. What do you think?

We've been talking it up and, of course there are always questions. Our culture is so ingrained with how meals "should be" but once you get past that, you'd be surprised to realize that it's so easy.

And as I'm saying to everyone who is considering it or who we talk about it to:

You don't have to do everything; just do something.

That means, you don't have to make a 100% vegan lifestyle switch overnight. Ease into it. Give up chicken. Have 3 nights a week be vegetarian meals. Anything is better than nothing. I think you'd be surprised how much you already do and how much you like it.

Plus, if you want to chat or ask question (or follow my daily yummy meals on Twitter) I welcome it!

Hope to hear from you soon with your thoughts!

Eggbound

Eggs courtesy of Gertie and Meg

A few weeks ago we noticed that the girls laying schedule had significantly reduced. It was especially noticeable in Meg who has, so far, been a very consistent layer. Nothing was happening.

The season was changing and getting warmer but we didn't think that was likely to make her slow down so much. If anything we thought she would be laying regularly every day. She also didn't seem to be getting ready for a moult, but hey, what do we know.

I tend to worry when things happen with the pets and I'm not sure why. So of course, my mind thinks that maybe Meg is egg bound. This is when, essentially, the egg gets stuck inside the hen and can be very serious, even fatal.

I tried to get to pick Meg up so I could examine her and see if I could feel anything but she was not having anything to do with that. I was going to take her to the vet (more chicken vet visits!) but ended up asking our friends who have lots of chickens and have had them for a while.

Their response was that if she was egg bound, she'd be dead by now. Alrighty then.

This has gone on for a few weeks now and she's still out there. She's been eating well and moves around fine, especially when she gets to free range. She hasn't gone back to laying but she has gone through a bit of a moult. It's not as extensive as the Fall moult but I'm assuming that is the cause of the interruption.

We're keeping a close eye on her just in case.

On the Moult

So a few weeks ago when it was just starting to get cold, Gertie started to lose her feathers. At first I was really worried about her but she seemed to be eating okay so I figured we would just give her time and see how it went.

Then Meg started to loser her feathers too. It looked like there was a chicken fight (ha!) going on in the coop with all of the feathers all over the place. Since both of the girls went through it and they also stopped laying eggs, both of which coincided with the winter coming on, I figured they were just getting their warmer "coats" like other animals.

Well, I guess I was right. It also goes to show how clueless I am as this process has a name - moulting.




I should have just gone online to look it up, but I don't think I would have even know what to look for. But there are several good sources.



This process takes a lot of energy and that is why they take a break from laying eggs. We thought they were just shutting down for the winter. But luckily they have started back up with the egg production. To the point that they are actually laying more than before.



We've started to add crushed oyster shells to their egg mash, so maybe that is helping too. And we did end up putting in a heat lamp on a timer for the coop. It's been pretty cold, so they really needed it, in spite of all of the hay and the shutters on the windows.



If you ever doubted that birds are descended from dinosaurs, a moulting, almost feather-less chicken will quickly change your mind!



Yesterday we got 3 eggs and today we got 3. We're back up to a half dozen in stock. It was crummy weather today but finally got sunny later in the afternoon so I let the gang out to get out into the yard and out of the mud, eat some fresh greens and play in the leaf pile.

We're back on track!

No-So-Warm Wednesday

It was quite chilly here last night and this morning. I'm sure the chickens were are snuggled in their hay keeping warm.

One of the things we like about the chickens and the main reason for keeping them is, of course, fresh eggs. You really can't beat fresh free-range eggs. Plus, we know the chickens are happier and healthier. They get to fun around, and get fresh veggies, fruit and grass and you can tell in the egg-iness of the eggs.

The husband eats eggs for breakfast about every other day. His favorite breakfast is to cook eggs over-easy on whole wheat bread from the Amish family at the farmer's market. It's soft and delicious.

Recipe is:
Two fresh egg-ies



Fry in pan



Serve over fresh bread to absorb up the vitamin rich, 1000% more flavorful yolk.



Delish!

Today's Feed: Egg Mash, fresh white corn on the cob, apples, tomatoes
Today's Eggs: One
Today's Temperament: Sleepy

Tuesday Time

Today was a little overcast, so when I got the chickens up and out, I put their feed pan inside the coop so it would stay dry. If I put it out in the pen and it rains, the food turns to an oatmeal-like mush that I would be surprised if they ate. It just seems wasteful and gross. Unfortunately, this always totally confuses the chickens and they act like I've deprived them of their food for the day. Their water is inside, so I know they figure it out eventually, but I kind of feel bad.

Chickens just aren't that bright.

I also felt bad because with the new roof, the door to the coop interior is not held in place and the poor chickens got locked out most of the day. They were already snuggling down outside getting ready to power down for the night. I have to remember to open the small flap cut in the door so they can get in and out, even if the big door closes.

Today's Feed: Egg Mash and 2 apples
Today's Eggs: None
Today's Temperament: Chilly

Meet the chickens

Welcome to The Daily Coop!

We just wanted to share with everyone the great experiences we have been having since we moved to our little town. There are always adventures and having chickens is a new one for us!

First, meet the chickens:



Napoleon is our rooster, in the front. We think he's a Bantam, but we need to do some research on all three of them.
Gertie is the black and white hen in the middle
Nutmeg (a.k.a. Meg) is in the back.

We've had the chickens just a few months now, so I think we're in a place where we can share some actual learning about them - although we are still learning more about them everyday.

I'll have to get some more and better pictures of them. This was taken not long after they joined us. You can tell because the pen yard still has tons of grass in it. This is no longer the case because they've either scratched it up or eaten it (Yes, they love fresh grass and veggies and fruit - but more on that later).

Each day, I'm going to share how they are, what they do, the food we've given them and the egg production. It will be interesting to see how the first year goes.