This is a question that I have often pondered on over the years. Now I have never owned chickens, but I would of course love to. I think chickens are just so adorable, and I also really love the idea of having modern day dinosaurs wandering around my house. But I have always wondered whether it would be considered vegan for me to eat the eggs? Or is it vegan to give them away to people? Would it be vegan if I sold the eggs?
For me, I don’t think I would ever eat eggs again. Mainly because I wasn’t overly keen on them before I went vegan anyway, so cutting them out of my diet was pretty easy. Although I will admit that I do sometimes have a craving for dippy egg and toast (for my non-British readers, you make some toast, cut the toast into thin slices and then dip these slices into the centre of a soft boiled egg), but I do worry that they could make me feel quite ill since I haven’t eaten eggs now in nearly 10 years. So for me, the eggs would just be left as eggs and I don’t think I would ever consume them myself.
I do know that you can reuse the eggs for he chickens, as they can use the roughage of the shells to help them digest their food better, plus the egg shells help them to replace the calcium it takes to make the egg in the first place. From my own very basic research into this though, it seems that chickens do not necessarily need the egg shells, and so won’t need all of the egg shells from the eggs that they will lay.
But what if I was to give the eggs away? Give them to neighbours, friends or family members? Maybe even give them away on a market stall every so often. Do we think that would be considered a vegan activity?
On a base level, the entire point of veganism (helpfully defined by the Vegan Society) is ‘a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.’ So if my chickens, who will be loved and well cared for and protected for their entire lives with me, lay eggs and I give the excess away, would that be ok? No animal suffering has gone into the making of the egg, and my chickens are not being exploited – I would love and care for my chickens even if they didn’t produce any eggs at all – so would that be ok fi I gave the excess eggs away to people for free? To save the product just going to waste? Would it be different if I donated the eggs to a food bank, or a homeless shelter?
But would that change if I was to charge for them? Do you think there would b a limit to how much I could charge before it becomes exploitative? If I sold a 6 pack of eggs for £1, is that different to selling a 6 pack of eggs for £10? If my chickens stopped producing eggs, I would not change how I care for my chickens, nor would I love them any less, so would it be considered vegan for me to sell any excess amounts of eggs just so the eggs are put to use? It is not a business, just a small side hustle. Would it be different if I then rely on the chickens to produce enough eggs for me to live off the sale of the eggs entirely? How about live off the egg sale proceeds for a few years, and then stop when the egg production stop? Do you think there would be a line here as to when it starts to become exploitative or otherwise detrimental to the chickens?
For me, I think I would most likely donate the excess eggs to a homeless shelter or a food bank, or give them to people who need the extra help. Even though I do not eat eggs, I am very much aware of the nutrition that eggs can provide, and I know for many families at the moment eggs could be quite a staple of their diet to help them through this pretty terrible cost of living crisis. I know that my chickens are loved, and my priority would always be to look after my chickens first, with the excess eggs that the chickens have no use for being able to help others in need.
Taylor Talks Vegan 