Backyard Eggs: Why We Shouldn’t Eat Them

On the surface, keeping hens in your backyard for eggs might seem like an ethical alternative to buying from the egg industry. However, even backyard egg production raises significant ethical concerns, especially from a vegan standpoint. While it may appear more humane, the practice still upholds many of the same underlying issues as commercial egg farming.

Most backyard hens are purchased from hatcheries, which are deeply intertwined with the cruelty of the egg industry. These hatcheries routinely kill male chicks—grinding them alive, suffocating them, or discarding them as trash—because they are considered useless. Even rescuing hens from backyard sellers or farms can indirectly support this system by creating demand, encouraging further breeding to meet the market. The connection to the broader egg industry cannot be ignored.

Hens have been selectively bred to lay an unnaturally high number of eggs—far beyond the 12 or so eggs a year that their wild ancestors would lay. This genetic manipulation forces hens to produce up to 300 eggs annually, putting immense strain on their bodies. Even in the best backyard environments, hens face the same health challenges as their factory-farmed counterparts. Calcium depletion, osteoporosis, and reproductive issues like egg peritonitis and prolapsed oviducts are common and cause significant suffering. These issues exist because hens have been bred to overproduce, not because of the conditions in which they are kept.

Even collecting and eating eggs from backyard hens raises ethical concerns. Eggs are not a "gift" from hens; they are a product of their reproductive systems, and hens often instinctively attempt to sit on or protect their eggs, regardless of whether they are fertilized. Removing eggs from their nests can cause stress and confusion, prompting the hens to lay more to replace the eggs they’ve lost. This behavior further depletes their already strained bodies. Hens left alone often eat their unfertilized eggs, which is their natural way of recycling vital nutrients like calcium. By taking their eggs, we deny them the opportunity to replenish their own health.

Some argue that rescuing hens from abusive situations and using their eggs is a form of compassion, but using their bodies for human consumption undermines the very purpose of rescue. True rescue prioritizes the animals’ well-being above human desires. A more ethical approach involves leaving their eggs for them to eat or breaking and composting the eggs to remove the temptation without exploiting their reproductive systems. Hens deserve care that is not contingent on what they can provide to humans.

Another ethical consideration is the fate of backyard hens once they stop laying eggs. Hens naturally slow their egg production as they age, and when they become less “useful,” many are abandoned, rehomed, or even slaughtered. Even well-meaning backyard keepers face the question of what to do with aging hens, highlighting how deeply ingrained the mindset of valuing animals for their utility is. A truly compassionate choice would be to provide lifelong care for hens, irrespective of their productivity.

Even in idyllic backyard settings, the practice of keeping hens for eggs normalizes the idea that animals exist for human use. From a vegan perspective, this mindset is fundamentally flawed. Treating animals as beings with intrinsic worth means respecting their autonomy and rejecting the idea that their bodies exist for our benefit. While backyard eggs may seem like a kinder option, they still exploit hens and perpetuate the systemic harm caused by breeding and egg production.

The most ethical choice is to avoid consuming eggs altogether, whether they come from factory farms, free-range systems, or backyard flocks. Supporting hens means respecting their right to live free from human exploitation, without using their bodies for our gain. True compassion lies in recognizing their value as individuals, not as commodities.

Photo by Ginger Jordan on Unsplash