Eggs from 'pet' chicken

[Spencer]

I was just wondering... if you kept chickens as pets, would you eat their unfertilised eggs? If not, why not? Do you think that it would be better to let their eggs go rotten than to eat them?

[RubyDuby]

why would anyone need a pet chicken?

Do u mean like farm sanctuary>?

[Spencer]

Why would anyone "need" a pet anything?

In the UK it's not that uncommon (although obviously not popular) for people to keep a few chickens as "pets" in their garden.

[missbettie]

i like little chickadees!

I don't think I would eat their eggs even if I did rescue the chicken, but I don't know what I would do with them though. I have heard of people feeding the eggs to their other animals like dogs.

[boatsteem1]

If you kept a pet cow would you drink its milk?

Like you said, why would anyone keep pets if not for their own pure joy. I don't believe the "I just rescued it" talk. If you wouldn't want to dominate something then you probably wouldn't have "saved" the animal in the first place.

I wouldn't own a pet and thus the question doesn't apply to me. I'm interested in seeing what others will say, though.

[Maisiepaisie]

I'd give the eggs to someone who would otherwise buy eggs. I've no desire to eat eggs, even if they were cruelty free.

[RubyDuby]

I guess if you're rescuing them and have a proper place for them... I'm not sure about the whole dominating comment... good idea about feeding the eggs to ur dogs tho, missbettie. havent really thought about the topic though, but wouldnt eat them myself.

[missbettie]

I don't believe the "I just rescued it" talk. If you wouldn't want to dominate something then you probably wouldn't have "saved" the animal in the first place.

Well what about a dog that is laying in the middle of the street dying? would you rescue it then? I know that sounds mean and I am sorry I am not trying to be mean I am just curious. I guess I really mean what do you mean by "rescue"

I wouldn't take a chicken straight out of a forest, or where ever they really live but if I found one starving and dying I would definately try to help it, and let me just say now, my animal friends are above everyone else in my house I treat them better than I treat my boyfriend. lol

[Spencer]

(I only just noticed the long thread about this subject in another section, so I'm sorry for bringing it up again.)

I wouldn't eat eggs if I had chickens and I wouldn't drink the milk of a cow that I owned. However, I can't think of any rational arguments as to why I wouldn't (or "shouldn't") do so. I have been vegan for a while and I have no desire to consume products of animal origin again, as the thought of doing so makes me feel quite sick and guilty. So the only thing that would stop me is the anticipation of this undesireable emotional reaction to what I perceive as being "wrong". Lately I've been thinking about my reasons for being vegan, and as I do not believe in objective moral truths, I'm finding it hard to justify some things. I haven't heard a convincing argument as to why I shouldn't eat the eggs of a chicken that I owned, although I wouldn't eat them regardless of that argument anyway.

Mazatael, what do you think is wrong with keeping pets? Humans are obviously animals, and symbiotic relationships are found in many parts of nature. Is it really so bad that humans give dogs/cats/whatever food and shelter, and in return get back happiness/company?

[twinkle]

Don't worry, Spencer, I expect a mod will merge this soon with that one (and maybe give you a lecture about using "search" ;))

[absentmindedfan]

I'd harboil the eggs and give them back to the chickens to replace the protein and calcium they lost producing them.

Whether I rescued them or not, their products are not mine to take. If I rescued a woman off the street I wouldn't eat her period for breakfast and I extend the same logic to chickens.

It's not food, it's not ours to eat so that's that.

[harpy]

I'd harboil the eggs and give them back to the chickens to replace the protein and calcium they lost producing them.

Hmm, would they like that, or would they feel the same way as I do about eating my placenta (if I had one)? ;)

I wouldn't leave them to rot though - I'd give them to an egg-eating friend to stop them buying supermarket eggs. Or to another animal, such as a hedgehog.

I don't personally see eating that sort of egg as a big moral issue, but one may as well be consistent, where possible, and in this case it's easy.

[absentmindedfan]

Chickens often eat addled/infertile eggs anyway to get the nutrients back, and vegan farm sanctuarys do it.

Placenta omelette maybe? ;)

[Pob]

Chickens don't lay so many eggs if you don't remove them. They only lay so many eggs to replace the ones that have been stolen.

[Noogle]

Chickens don't lay so many eggs if you don't remove them. They only lay so many eggs to replace the ones that have been stolen.

If this is true, then I would leave the eggs there. I wouldn't however see a moral objection to eating the eggs otherwise, although I wouldn't from a health perspective.

Veganism for me is about ending animal suffering, not making sure I'm 100% animal free. If the egg was simply something left behind by a chicken and it had no want/need/use for it, then I wouldn't see the problem eating it instead of letting it rot. The problem comes when people abuse and exploit the chickens to get eggs and make profit.

[boatsteem1]

Well what about a dog that is laying in the middle of the street dying? would you rescue it then? I know that sounds mean and I am sorry I am not trying to be mean I am just curious. I guess I really mean what do you mean by "rescue"

Indirect thinking leads me to ask: what about all the animals that are being slaughtered to provide food for the dog?

Even if the above mentioned only applies to meat eating pets, even vegetarian pets indirectly consume land, water, and resources in order to be fed. Most pet species can't live solely off of grass. This leads more to an environmental argument than a ethical one. Pets consume huge amounts of resources (try counting the number of pets in the world and you'll likely end up with 100+ millions). In most parts of the developed world we have almost no natural environments left, leaving thousands of species endangered due to habitat loss. Not just mammals! Insects, plants and many other invisible species are affected by this. It takes a lot of resources to feed 100+ million pets.

If I saw a dog dying on the street I would have it be put to sleep. The problem (the pet owner) has already been done. The dog's presumably terrible life can't be undone. But we can change the future. Actually, just by owning pets you promote pet owning to non-pet owners. Getting fewer people to own pets in the first place is the right way to tackle the situation.

[boatsteem1]

Mazatael, what do you think is wrong with keeping pets? Humans are obviously animals, and symbiotic relationships are found in many parts of nature. Is it really so bad that humans give dogs/cats/whatever food and shelter, and in return get back happiness/company?

Please see my reply above for a few very good reasons.

In symbiotic relationships two (or more) species have evolved over, some times, millions of years together to form this relationship. Evolution has done this to them because it favoured the genes that cooperated. In our case we have taken the animals to us. There is not much evolution involved because we forced them by taking their young and raising them to recognize humans as masters.

Granted, some argue that wolves came to man by looking for spoils from our slaughtered animals, and that eventually a mutual relationships developed where we had them in our camps and started to use them as hunting partners. I don't think this theory has been proven, though.

No matter the background. We take animals into our homes without leaving them with a choice. They are born and raised with humans. If they don't like humans they are killed. Most importantly, this is on our terms only which means that this is not a symbiotic relationship. They have no choice.

[Hemlock]

I would let my cats have them or the local hedgehogs rather than let them rot. I personally wouldn't eat them as I have to watch my cholesterol levels - there is a history of stroke disease in my family.

[missbettie]

Indirect thinking leads me to ask: what about all the animals that are being slaughtered to provide food for the dog?

Even if the above mentioned only applies to meat eating pets, even vegetarian pets indirectly consume land, water, and resources in order to be fed. Most pet species can't live solely off of grass. This leads more to an environmental argument than a ethical one. Pets consume huge amounts of resources (try counting the number of pets in the world and you'll likely end up with 100+ millions). In most parts of the developed world we have almost no natural environments left, leaving thousands of species endangered due to habitat loss. Not just mammals! Insects, plants and many other invisible species are affected by this. It takes a lot of resources to feed 100+ million pets.



Well regardless if the meat eating animal is dying and taking up natural resources I would still do all I could to help it survive. Everything that happens in the world is taking up our resources, and we all know that humans are very guilty of using up natural resources. I do agree however that we are also to blame for the over population of animals, however it is not their fault and I still feel that it is my duty to protect these animals from whatever else I can. Which is WHY we should fix our animal friends!

Any way this is getting way off topic. I wouldn't eat the chickens eggs, its just way icky. lol

[Sandy777]

I'd harboil the eggs and give them back to the chickens to replace the protein and calcium they lost producing them.

Whether I rescued them or not, their products are not mine to take. If I rescued a woman off the street I wouldn't eat her period for breakfast and I extend the same logic to chickens.

It's not food, it's not ours to eat so that's that.
I like that - that's the whole thing isn't it? It's not food.

[fondducoeur]

I would not eat the eggs, although I would have no problem with someone else eating them. I would gladly give them to people who are going to buy eggs anyway. And, I would feed them back to my chicken to restore the nutrients if it would eat it. However, unless I saved one from a farm or found a chicken dying, I do not think I would have a pet chicken.

[missbettie]

However, unless I saved one from a farm or found a chicken dying, I do not think I would have a pet chicken.


I agree.

[harpy]

Rescued hens apparently do well as companion animals. I've read battery farms don't want them after their "productivity" has declined and will often give them away or sell them for next to nothing.

If I didn't live right in the middle of town I'd love to have some. These people rehome battery hens:

http://www.thehenshouse.co.uk/rescuework.html

[boatsteem1]

I'd like to post an interesting side question. If you kept a pet, be it a chicken, hen, dog, cat, hare, horse or whatever, and the animal died. Would you eat the meat, assuming you know its not poisonous? Maybe give it away?

A lot of people seem to feel its okay to give away the eggs, so I'm interested to hear what you think about this.

[RubyDuby]

do u really equate giving away eggs to giving away the dead chicken?


Even if the above mentioned only applies to meat eating pets, even vegetarian pets indirectly consume land, water, and resources in order to be fed. Most pet species can't live solely off of grass. This leads more to an environmental argument than a ethical one. Pets consume huge amounts of resources (try counting the number of pets in the world and you'll likely end up with 100+ millions). In most parts of the developed world we have almost no natural environments left, leaving thousands of species endangered due to habitat loss.

ppl cant live off just grass either.

If a dying person were in the street would you have them killed?

Should we go around killing meat eaters or others who do things that we believe in our heart of hearts is wrong?

I don't believe we should be adding to the pet population, but the ones who are alive deserve to be given a happy life. It isn't their choice per se... but I can promise you that my pets are happy. Children dont choose to be born (and I will never give birth) but that doesnt mean that the ones who are here shouldnt be given a chance at a good life.

I get what you're saying about encouraging others to purchase pets just by having them. That makes sense... but I'm definately not afraid of speaking my opinion about that topic to anybody I hear talking about a specific breed, or who is against spaying/neutering.

On topic...

I know a few of you have said you see nothing wrong w eating the eggs, but is there a reason you would eat them? (besides not thinking of a reason why not?) --just curious.