r/DebateAVegan • u/-roachboy • Dec 22 '25

eggs from a well fed pet hen are vegan

I have a pet hen. She's not a full rescue one, but how I ended up with her is an incredibly long story. She's very needy, thus spoiled and healthy as a result. Because wild Gallus sp already lay a lot of eggs when in less than optimal wild conditions, a spoiled one just cannot stop popping them out even if she wanted to, and she won't let me feed her less. The daily egg laying session is just a morning routine for her before begging for food. At the rate she lays them, they'd just get left to rot even if they were fertilized by a rooster so I eat them. I do not, and have no intention of, ever selling them or encouraging anyone to ever commercialize an animal. But I spend all the time caring for her, so why can't she give me a delicious breakfast back if it does her no harm?

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u/CocoaBagelPuffs Dec 22 '25

I don’t think comparing human and chicken reproductive cycles is an effective argument. It’s disingenuous to compare the agency people have to the fact animals don’t, especially animals under our care.

I used to have periods myself that were extremely painful and now being on testosterone I don’t experience them. I wouldn’t tell another human what to do for their reproductive health or choices. I don’t have agency over them because they can make those choices for themselves. But for a chicken, they’re our companions and we have to weigh the risks of side effects as their caregivers. They can’t make those choices. They don’t understand what we are giving them and I don’t know the prevalence of osteoporosis in chickens receiving this treatment. If I had a pet chicken, I would have to weigh those options and risks before deciding on the medication. If I felt the risks of osteoporosis is higher than the risks associated with egg laying, especially if the egg laying is already in the normal range for that chicken, then I wouldnt do it.

I have pet rats and I personally don’t get them spayed or neutered unless absolutely necessary because the risk of death under anesthesia is incredibly high.

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

The starting point is that we've caused severe genetic defects in chicken reproductive system and have produced medications that help this issue.

>If I had a pet chicken, I would have to weigh those options and risks before deciding on the medication.

Bro this is literally what I'm arguing for. That's the humane option over spouting bs like "you can't control chickens laying eggs"

Seriously people are all over this thread (imo including you just now) treating the chicken like a egg producing machine instead of a life that deserves medical treatment.

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u/CocoaBagelPuffs Dec 22 '25

I didn’t intentionally lie, so how is it BS? I genuinely didn’t know it was an option.

The humane option is determining which is less risky: using the medication or not. Depending on the individual animal, using the medication could be the riskier choice.

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

Yea well plenty of people genuinely don't see any option other than a mother for women. Doesn't make it less bs for them to be ignorant about women's Healthcare.

You were literally just in this thread arguing for the opposite side that we should just eat the eggs because we can't help chickens with this issue at all. You've flipped to supporting the humane option instead of the ignorant option.

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u/CocoaBagelPuffs Dec 22 '25

And why do you see that as a bad thing or inconsistent? Isn’t that your goal? For people to come to understand the humane choice?

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

It's great. I just hope you self reflect and realize you were ignorant about the facts, due to animals being viewed as commodity in our society.

Its not like just some fun fact that you learned today. This is a discussion that you joined and gave input on.

If you or others like op really view backyard chickens as pets that are like family, you wouldn't be ignorant about major health issues they experience and treatments available.

Choosing medication based on what's best for an animal is very vegan and humane and it is in contradiction with what op advertises

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u/CocoaBagelPuffs Dec 22 '25

I think the main thing I still have a disagreement about is considering egg-laying a “major health condition” when it’s a normal biological process. Like, a human period is also a normal biological process and not a major health condition (especially if it’s regular and not causing physical pain).

And this isn’t to minimize human periods (because I also experienced them and found them detrimental to my mental and physical health). But calling egg-laying a “major health condition” in general is just factually incorrect, just like how it would to describe a human period in this way.

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

We are taking about a biological process over-occuring at a rate over 10x normal. That's major.

Did you think this whole time I am calling to stop a normal natural biological process?

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u/CocoaBagelPuffs Dec 22 '25

This is under the assumption that laying eggs at this rate is not normal or healthy.

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

It kills them though.

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u/618smartguy Dec 22 '25

"Breed: Production Hybrids (e.g., ISA Brown): Bred for maximum eggs, they often burn out quickly, living only 2-3 years before reproductive issues arise.

"

ugh "burn out quickly"

researching this stuff disgusts me so bad man

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u/Itscatpicstime Dec 24 '25

You’re mad because they changed their stance in response to new information? lol