07-06-2015, 02:00 PM
Although I'm vegan, in discussions with other vegans, I've actually been the one defending the eating of eggs from backyard hens who are allowed to roam freely and forage. (Not to be confused with falsely labeled 'free range' eggs which are just as cruel as factory-farmed eggs.)
I always contended that the chickens lay the eggs anyway, so why not gather them and feed them to your dogs? (Or even eat them.) I find eggs too heavy, but I had no ethical issue with eating eggs from backyard chickens. I am fiercely against buying store-bought eggs. They directly support the meat industry and those chickens were literally tortured every day of their lives. So I always made a distinction between store-bought eggs and eggs from backyard chickens who have plenty of room to forage and have pretty good lives.
Until recently.
A vegan friend brought this to my attention. Now I feel a dilemma regarding what to feed my dogs and cats. Plus, I read a book called Obligate Carnivore which further complicated the matter. Then, I met vegans who are successfully raising their cats and dogs as vegans. They claim that their dogs and cats are thriving, and don't have fleas, and never get sick and smell sweet and live longer and are vibrantly healthy and their fur is shinier. Say, what??? But just look at those teeth! I said. Yeah, no question about it: Cats and dogs are carnivores. But reading Obligate Carnivore totally blew my mind. I won't go into it but suffice to say, it rattled me and made me question everything.
The problem is that the vegan kibble has GMO corn and canola. I can't knowingly feed GMOs to my doggies and kitties. I'm trying to find one that is non-GMO, and I'm writing the companies suggesting that they offer a non-GMO version.
Here is what my friend told me about eggs from backyard chickens:
I always contended that the chickens lay the eggs anyway, so why not gather them and feed them to your dogs? (Or even eat them.) I find eggs too heavy, but I had no ethical issue with eating eggs from backyard chickens. I am fiercely against buying store-bought eggs. They directly support the meat industry and those chickens were literally tortured every day of their lives. So I always made a distinction between store-bought eggs and eggs from backyard chickens who have plenty of room to forage and have pretty good lives.
Until recently.
A vegan friend brought this to my attention. Now I feel a dilemma regarding what to feed my dogs and cats. Plus, I read a book called Obligate Carnivore which further complicated the matter. Then, I met vegans who are successfully raising their cats and dogs as vegans. They claim that their dogs and cats are thriving, and don't have fleas, and never get sick and smell sweet and live longer and are vibrantly healthy and their fur is shinier. Say, what??? But just look at those teeth! I said. Yeah, no question about it: Cats and dogs are carnivores. But reading Obligate Carnivore totally blew my mind. I won't go into it but suffice to say, it rattled me and made me question everything.
The problem is that the vegan kibble has GMO corn and canola. I can't knowingly feed GMOs to my doggies and kitties. I'm trying to find one that is non-GMO, and I'm writing the companies suggesting that they offer a non-GMO version.
Here is what my friend told me about eggs from backyard chickens:
Quote:Picture a happy flock of backyard chickens....
There are 10 hens, completely free range, wandering around the neighbor's back yard. They are all happily scratching at the dirt and enjoying their days in the sun. The neighbor treats them all really, really well, so what could possibly be wrong with this? Why would a vegan object?
Most likely, it's the missing 10 brothers! Huh? There is an extremely high probability that the neighbor got her flock from a breeder or at the local feedstore. Chickens have a 50/50 gender ratio, and they immediately kill the boys at birth, often in horrific ways. That means that there are 10 brutally slaughtered baby male chicks to match those 10hens that were allowed to make it to maturity.
Hens definitely do lay eggs whether or not they are fertilized, but it's only been through countless generations of selective breeding that they started laying eggs every single day. This exaggerated egg production takes an enormous toll and wears out their bodies in 5-6 years instead of the 20-30 lifespan. They've been bred for this, it's not possible to keep a modern variety of chicken without this happening... and the health complications and shortened lifespans that go with it, if the owner doesn't just kill them when they stop laying eggs.
It's about the boys..........
That's what's wrong.