Whenever we talk about veganism, someone asks, “What’s wrong with eggs from my neighbor’s backyard hens?” It’s a fair question! Here’s the answer:

Orphan Chicks
Dead Roosters
Unhappy Hens
Overwhelmed Sanctuaries
Unhealthy Eggs
What to Do Instead

Most hens in backyards come from hatcheries who sell chicks to consumers directly or through farm stores. At hatcheries, eggs are incubated by machines, not by mother hens.

Mother hens know exactly how warm to keep eggs and how often to turn them. As the chicks develop, their mother clucks to them. This soothing sound is an important aspect of their development and allows them to recognize their mother’s voice upon hatching.

Hatchlings spend all of their first few days on top of, near, or under the wings of their mothers. They peep in distress when separated from her.

Chicks at hatcheries never hear or meet their mothers. They hatch under artificial lights and begin crying for mothers who will never come. The constant peeping that you hear from chicks under lights at farm stores is distress.

Since buyers only want hens of the breeds used for egg-laying, hatcheries kill male chicks as quickly and cheaply as they can. Most often, male chicks are tossed into trash receptacles and left to starve or be smothered to death. Sometimes they are fed into wood chippers.

Hatcheries ship live chicks to farm stores and mail them to individual buyers. Either way, the voyage is terrifying, uncomfortable, and dangerous for the vulnerable chicks. Many die along the way. 

Workers at hatcheries inevitably make mistakes when sexing newly-hatched chicks. That means that most people who buy chicks expecting them to grow up to be hens end up with one or more roosters instead.

Roosters are loud and unfairly stereotyped as aggressive. Some towns have ordinances prohibiting roosters. So, when people who wanted hens end up with roosters, they either give them to someone who will kill and eat them or try to surrender them to sanctuaries.

Because of the fad for backyard hen-keeping, every farmed animal sanctuary is deluged by demands to take in more and more roosters. But no sanctuary has the unlimited space and money it would take to house all of the roosters discarded by hen-keepers every year! Most of these unwanted roosters are euthanized—or worse.

Eggs exit hens through their cloaca or “vent.” This is a single, multi-purpose opening serving the urinary, digestive, and reproductive tracts. Thus, eggs may be coated with excrement, invisible traces of which may remain even after the egg is washed.

Inside the shell, eggs may be tainted by salmonella, campylobacter, or other pathogens that can lead to serious short-term or long-term illness. Eggs also contain cholesterol, which contributes to heart disease.

Instead of buying or accepting eggs from a small or backyard egg producer, learn to cook without eggs.

If you have been thinking of keeping hens for their eggs, consider all of the above, along with the fact that the costs of hen-keeping typically add up to more than the cost of buying eggs. Consider the heartbreak that you or your children may feel if you buy chicks but then are unable to adequately care for them.

If you have been thinking of keeping hens because you like birds and would like to have hen friends, then please adopt, don’t shop! Instead of buying chicks from hatcheries, adopt older hens. Backyard hen-keepers often grow tired of the work or want to get rid of hens who are no longer laying as many eggs. Give those hens a good home!

Or, if your region allows it, consider adopting one or more roosters in need of a good home! Wherever people are keeping hens in their backyards, there are roosters in need of homes.

Another way to bring birds to your backyard is by becoming a bird watcher who actively welcomes wild birds. Set up a bird feeder, and get ready to get to know your feathered neighbors!

If you want to go even further, make your backyard into a habitat for wild birds! Consult your local Audubon society or birdwatching group to learn about the birds in your region and which plants they use for food and shelter. Cultivate those bushes, trees, and wildflowers and watch your backyard become a wildlife wonderland!