Why Vegans Don't Eat Eggs
One of the questions vegans hear most often is:
"But you eat eggs, right?"
It's a fair question. After all, hens lay eggs naturally, so why would vegans avoid them?
The answer comes down to one simple idea: veganism is about avoiding animal exploitation wherever it's practical to do so.
Modern Chickens Aren't Like Wild Chickens
Yes, hens naturally lay eggs. But the chickens used by today's egg industry are very different from their wild ancestors.
Wild jungle fowl lay around 10 to 15 eggs a year, mostly during the breeding season. Modern laying hens have been selectively bred to produce 250 to 300 eggs every year.
Producing that many eggs places enormous strain on a hen's body. Every egg requires calcium, protein, and other nutrients, increasing the risk of brittle bones, fractures, and reproductive health problems.
So while laying eggs is natural, laying hundreds every year is not. It's the result of decades of breeding chickens to produce as many eggs as possible.
What Happens to Male Chicks?
This is something many people simply don't know.
Male chicks can't lay eggs, and they're not the breed typically raised for meat. Because they're considered unprofitable to the egg industry, millions are killed shortly after hatching every year.
One of the most common methods has traditionally been maceration, where newly hatched chicks are instantly killed in a high-speed industrial machine. Others are killed using gas.
For many vegans, it's impossible to separate a carton of eggs from this reality.
What About Free Range or Backyard Eggs?
Free-range systems may give hens more space, but they don't change the fact that the birds have still been bred to produce an unnaturally high number of eggs.
Backyard rescue hens are a little different, and opinions vary. Even so, many vegans still choose not to eat their eggs.
Every egg contains nutrients the hen used from her own body to make it, especially calcium. Some hens will eat broken eggs themselves, and many people who care for rescued chickens will cook the eggs or feed back the crushed shells so the hens can regain some of those nutrients.
Even when a hen is eating a healthy diet, many vegans simply feel that the egg belongs to her. If there's no need to take it, they'd rather leave it for the chicken or use it to benefit her.
The Bottom Line
Most vegans don't avoid eggs because they dislike the taste or think eggs are unhealthy.
They avoid them because the modern egg industry relies on breeding chickens to lay far more eggs than nature intended, while millions of male chicks are killed simply because they can't produce eggs.
When there are plenty of delicious plant-based alternatives, many vegans see avoiding eggs as a simple way to reduce animal suffering.