Free-Range Eggs & Being Vegan
Here's the original post:
I'm am a veteran ovo-lacto vegetarian, and just went vegan in the beginning of 2008. I went veg*n for animal rights/ethical reasons. I know store bought free-range, cage-free is actually a big sham and that the practices are horrific. Lately, a few people have asked me about raising my own animals - if I would eat the eggs then. For instance, my husband (who is ovo-lacto veggie), buys eggs from his friend who has a small farm in northern liberty. She doesn't really sell them - just to a few close friends - she charges him like $1 for a dozen. but we've been to her property, the chickens seemingly live a very happy life. I've been asked the same questions about milk - if i had a single cow, and milked it - would it be okay then?
My argument for not eating eggs: they would eventually hatch into baby chicks. in addition, i can't imagine taking the egg from a mother hen....
My argument for not drinking milk: it's not natural to consume the milk of another animal.
I live in the mid-west and don't know a lot of other vegans (ok, none). So i'm turning to you guys for other reasons. I don't even know if mine are justifiable reasons. I mean, i am completely comfortable saying, "i just don't. it's my choice."... but i'm curious about other reasons people have. It would be very insightful.
Thanks!
What if we slaughtered chickens as humanely as possible near the end of their natural life expectancy? What do you guys think of this concept? In our current system chickens are killed very young because it's more profitable, but it we slowed our food system down... To me it might be a bit like eating my cat, but there is merit here...
To me, the bottom line is that the right to kill other creatures for food begins & ends with need. The approach outlined above would clearly be better than what passes for 'normal' chicken-meat-obtainment within the current industrial paradigm... or, if we're talking about impoverished regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where a subsistence-level farming family (whose land/ water/ labour resources are inadequate for producing enough plant foods) keeps chickens/ eats roosters as you describe above... well, I think this would be a less harmful scenario than hunting endangered 'bushmeat' to feed their hungry children... BUT: that's not my situation, nor (I suspect) is it the world anyone using this forum inhabits.
So: the NEED isn't there; there's plenty of other stuff to eat! Therefore even if quality/ length of life were improved for the creatures in question, it would STILL be killing in the absence of need, JUST as much as what we're doing now... That's the crux of the issue, for me.
would you slaughter your dog when it was about to die and eat it for food? i wouldn't, i would bury my doggies with some kind of marker so i could remember exactly the spot they lay in... if your chicken was a "pet" why the hell would you want to eat it?
would you slaughter your dog when it was about to die and eat it for food? i wouldn't, i would bury my doggies with some kind of marker so i could remember exactly the spot they lay in... if your chicken was a "pet" why the hell would you want to eat it?
I think you misinterpreted what I said. I didn't say I wanted to eat chickens. I don't. Not at all. I think I was just pondering how they could improve the current system, which is obviously not good at all. And I was trying to factor in that there will likely always be people who will eat chicken.
Some chickens can lay 300 eggs a year but most lay about half that. The majority of people that are allowed to keep roosters with their backyard flock do. Its the factory farms that treat them like 'garbage' literally. I would like to adopt a rooster one of these days. There are so many that are rescued from illegal cockfighting rings that need good homes.
People that I know that have kept chickens longterm say they live about 11-14 years. The 7 years must come from those raised in less than ideal conditions.
I think that's what the article said... 7 years for a factory farm bird, and probably the same for the 300 eggs. That was the reason for my surprise. I didn't think most chickens laid that many! The thing is here.. I'm pretty ignorant on raising chickens, because I haven't personally kept any. I've known people with chickens, and there was Hannah but she lived at a community garden (I was in an apartment) so while I revered her as my pet I wasn't really responsible for her. If you know more than I do about these things, how do things work having a rooster around hens presuming you're collecting the eggs? I'd like to have both roosters and hens, if I ever have garden space to keep them.
ok im going to jump in here and ask by what you mean "enough"? This might be a simmilar situation... I hate milk, it makes me sick, and factory farmed milk is awful, but I have a lot of family who lives/d on farms and the cows like getting milked (they come to you when you have the bucket and happily stand still for it) and they can make enough for a few people in a house hold and still plenty for their baby.
(this of course is what i understand... ive never had a cow)
My question regarding cows and their milk is: How long can cows produce milk after having a calf? I don't know if that's a dumb question, but I'm clueless about cows and I have never made milk myself so I don't know entirely how that works. It seems to matter how often you would need to impregnate a cow in order to continue to get milk from her. Too many calves growing into big cows, and what are you gonna do with them all?
I've been thinking a little about goat's milk lately. Mightn't goats milk be better overall than cows' milk? Goats take up less space and require less food and water.
Bottom line for me seems like: Baby cows being used for veal is the saddest thing ever.
ughhh this was like 4 months ago so it's hard to respond to such an old argument without re reading everything, sorry
ughhh this was like 4 months ago so it's hard to respond to such an old argument without re reading everything, sorry
Ya, it was kinda old. I just forgot I posted over here.
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