Eggs?

Good on you for wanting to make the switch to vegan!

Sadly the fact is that hens in all egg laying systems (battery and free-range) are killed when their egg production slows down. That's usually at about 18 months old, of a natural lifespan of about 12 years. They are slaughtered just like those chickens killed for meat

But that's not the worst of it. Obviously the egg industry needs to 'replace' these hens, so consequently millions more birds are hatched -- but only half of them are female. Since the males can't lay eggs, they are "useless" to the egg industry, and won't grow big enough or fast enough to be killed for meat. As a result, 10 MILLION unwanted day-old male chicks are gassed to death or ground up alive (yep) by the Australian egg industry every year. This is the rather disturbing 'waste product' of the egg industry, and seriously, makes me want to cry every time I think about it

Here's a video shot inside the world's largest egg-laying hen hatchery: www.unleashed.org.au/take_action/egg-industry-secret

I wish I'd have known about this years before I stopped eating eggs. More people need to know about it!

Fortunately there are heaps of egg-free recipes, and even egg-replacers that you can use in baking etc. So, there's little reason to miss chicken eggs!

Check out this page for some delicious egg-free recipes
www.unleashed.org.au/change_the_world/go_veg/vegan_recipes.php

i just realised wen im 18 id still only be vegetarian because i want to keep my own rescue hens and eat those eggs x x

I have my own backyard hens too. So I do eat those eggs. But I refuse to purchase eggs or products with eggs in them. I just call myself full time veggo, main time vegan. My grievance is for the animals so I think it's fine. My chooks are very happy and healthy It is a good thing because they lay so many eggs that I have plenty to give away to a few people that I know would buy eggs from the supermarket otherwise.

Yes, unfortunately even 'free range' is absolutely cruel, but good on you for wanting to make the switch.

I wouldn't frown down on someone who still ate their own chickens eggs, or someone who got them off a friend who had some hens, but it's not vegan.

As said above, it's so easy to bake without eggs. Next time you're cooking something like pancakes or a cake, substitute 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for every egg you would have used in the recipe. It's that simple! One of my omni mates had no eggs and wanted to do some baking, I told her this, and now she prefers it to using eggs in her baking.

Good luck!

actually no i wont eat the eggs from my chooks ill give them to other people

and good idea, will have to try that!! can you do that with everything?

Hi Xlucky,
You might like to view this site:
The Free Range Myth by Peaceful Prairie
http://www.peacefulprairie.org/freerange1.html

Here I was thinking Free Range was Good..ish
Thank God I Stopped Eating Eggs =]

A small point: If you buy something at a supermarket that contains eggs or egg derivatives, you don't know what kind of eggs are involved (if you approve of free-range eggs).