The Chicken or The Egg?

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

In the egg industry, this doesn't necessarily make any difference, they'll all end up on the same place: supermarket shelves.

It's a misconception to think chickens live a happy life, get fed and peck the whole day outside whilst enjoying the sun. At least that's what we're usually told or see on the supermarket or on the telly. Same goes for happy cows, it's all lies.

The egg industry is just as cruel as the other ones. It might not make much sense because hens and cows naturally produce eggs and milk, but let's define what's natural, shall we? 

Normally, a wild hen should lay around 10-15 eggs a year, and only during breeding time with the only purpose of reproduction. In this industry, the egg-laying hens lay something around 300 eggs a year. When they start slowing down their production, they get slaughter. This usually happens when they're 12, 15 months old. 

Does it sound natural to you? Imagine if they did that humans, just imagine.

These birds usually stay in tiny cages with 5, 6 other hens inside, all crushed together their entire short lives. The "free-range" ones aren't confined in cages, but they spend their lives on a concrete floor amongst thousands of other chickens. 

When they are born, they get a very painful beak trimming to decrease injuries, as pecking each other is a natural behaviour. Male chicks are either suffocated or ground up alive right after they hatch. 

Why? Because male chicks cannot lay eggs nor are suitable for chicken-meat production. If you've never heard this before, you're probably thinking I'm exaggerating or simply making this up. Trust me, unfortunately, it is the truth. 

This is just a little bit of what happens in the egg industry. There are lots os petitions and protests against it, but it is incredibly difficult to just put a stop on this cruelty. As much as the constant activism helps, the best way to end this is to stop consuming animal products. 

Many non-profit organisations can help with all sorts of information. The picture above is from Animal Equality. You can find my personal "go-to" list on the page's sidebar.

If you have any questions, please comment below for a healthy discussion! 👇👇 

Photo by AnimalEquality.Org